No Air Artie's Point of View
by NoLongerThere
Summary: Artemis Rayne's story of No Air but written in Artie's Point of View. For full description please visit Artemis Rayne's page. Also read her other stories while you are there.
1. Chapter 1

****No Air****

****Artie's Point Of View****

**This story was taken, with permission from Artemis Rayne. It is the story she wrote called **_**No Air**_**, but it is from Artie's Point of View. I really wanted to know what it was like from his perspective and so I decided to write it for the other people who wanted to know the same thing as well.**

**I know that it's not as good as when Artemis Rayne wrote it but I tried and I am happy with it.**

**This is also my first post.**

**~Please enjoy**

**MiniKimChi**

******************************************Chapter 1******************************************

I wake up confused and dazed… at least I think I wake up. As my mind begins to come to a more functional state, I realize I don't want to open my eyes but even when I try, they don't. My body feels numb and heavy like there is a weight on my chest. The thing that's unsettling about the whole thing is my legs. I think I can even feel _them_ sinking into the mattress.

I let out a breath that I didn't even realize I was holding, and let my body relax deeper into the bed that I'm on. I know that it's not my bed though because of the way it feels. Normally my mattress wraps around my torso from who knows how many years of use, but this one kinda reminds me of a brick, a brick with a comfy covering.

The more I lie here on the slab, the more I realize I can't even remember how I got there. Did I sleep over someone's house? No, I have school tomorrow. Maybe I fell asleep on the couch or my parent's bed. Nope. Even those aren't bricks. Where am I?

Suddenly there is something holding my left hand. It just stays there for a minute or two. I can't really be sure but it definitely wasn't more than two minutes. I feel something warm and soft touch the back of my hand.

I want to smile at the kiss but I don't want to move. I just want to lie there letting my mind have a break from the constant noise of my normal high school setting.

I expect the lips to move away but they don't; that's when the person speaks. "Come back to me, Artie. I'm not going anywhere." I hear the voice say and now I want to cry. I can feel the person's slick warm breath against the back of my hand and in an instant I know who it is.

Tina.

Slowly I feel her move her head so that she has her cheek to my fingers. I smile mentally to myself. I know what she's doing right now and I know what she's thinking too. Right now she's telling herself that she won't fall asleep and that she'll remain awake until I wake up. I don't want to. It's not that I want her to stay awake; it's just that I can't. I feel my body settle further into the bed on, without me even willing it to. I try to force my eyes open and I almost have it when I feel another drop in my mind.

I let out another breath and let whatever it is that's inside me, pull me back into the darkness of my own mind.


	2. Chapter 2

No Air

Artie's Point Of View

The parts that are both bold and italicized are the parts that are flashbacks. This goes for the rest of the chapters.

~MiniKimChi

****************************************Chapter 2****************************************

I have no idea how long I've been out, but I guess it's been several hours. I feel my brain come around much more quickly than the last time and after about a minute, it can function at it's normal operating capacity.

Slowly I open my eyes and groan. I can't see anything clearly and I have no clue where my glasses are. Either way, I looked around and noticed two faces staring at me. It takes me a little to make out the facial features but eventually I realize who it is.

My dad has a look of happiness, like seeing my eyes open is the best sight he has ever seen while my mom has a look of… just… I don't know how to explain it. It's a mix between excitement, sadness, bliss, and regret all in one.

I know I can't see but I know my parents enough that I can tell what their thinking. They are happy about something but I still can't remember what.

"Hey Sport," my dad says while I glance around the room again.

"Dad," I manage but my throat feels pretty dry. He puts a glass of water with a straw next to my head and lets me take all the time I need to drink it.

"Where am I?" I ask once my throat feels a lot less desert like.

"Artie!" my mom cuts in before my dad can even open his mouth. "Sweetie, oh my baby," she says nearly falling on top of me before my dad stops her.

"Son, before I say anything I just want you to know it's not you fault," my dad says then he turns to look at my mom. "Judy, it's not your fault either."

My mom nods her head and once my dad looks back to me I nod too. "Pulmonary embolism," my dad said and instantly I understand but before I can stop myself I instantly remember the day my doctor told me about my legs.

I clearly remember him telling me about how I am prone to them in my legs and that they could become dangerous if I didn't do anything about them. But what-do-you-know, here I am lying in a hospital bed because I had a ball of blood pushed into my lungs.

"What happened?" I asked still kind of out of it. I couldn't even remember getting up that morning.

"I heard a thud and when I came into your room you were on the floor," my dad says running a hand through his hair. My mom slowly wipes away a few tears from her eyes. She is upset but she tries not to let it show.

I nod the memory of that morning coming back somewhat hazy. "Can I have my glasses?" I ask glancing at the bedside table next to me.

My dad just laughs. "What's so funny?" I ask looking at him. I could have died if he didn't hear me fall and he's laughing?

"As soon as your mother and I run home we'll bring your other pair," he said while smiling. "You kind of flattened your other ones when you fell on top of them."

Now, even I couldn't help but to smile at that.

"Honey," my mom says coming over to my bed and rubbing my shoulder, "We're going to head home and get you a few things. We just wanted to wait until you woke up okay?" she asks while trying her best to sound brave.

"Mom," I start but I know she won't listen, "don't beat yourself up. If anything I should be the one to blame not you. Just go home, relax, and don't worry. It's not like I'm gonna die in a hospital," I joke but it doesn't make her seem any more relaxed.

I know my mom blames herself for everything that's happened to me after the accident. Sometimes I hear her talking to my dad late at night saying things like, 'if I didn't force him to go, he would've been fine,' and 'if I'd been paying attention a little bit more, the guy would have missed us completely.' She blames herself for the accident and everything at happens to me because of my paralysis, she beats herself up over it too.

My mom nods reluctantly and then she and my dad turn and walk out the door.

"We'll be back once your mother gets a bit of sleep," my dad says while glancing at my mom with a look that says like-that-will-ever-happen. "Will you be okay by yourself?"

"Go home," I say and with that they turn to leave. My dad is nearly carrying my mom she's so tired.

I just lie there for a few moments taking in my surroundings when I notice something is attached to my hand.

Looking down, I first noticed several tubes and needles sticking out of my hand. I feel sick to the point I might pass out. That sight alone brings back memories I don't want to remember.

Something shifts next to my hand. I didn't notice it was there at first because whatever it is it's black. Squinting I managed to make out bits of blue among the blackness and then I remembered Tina.

Her face looks peaceful enough to show that she is genuinely sleeping but then her face twists in, what looks like, confusion.

I want to wake her up but she starts to mumble. I can't make out what she's saying, but I'm sure it wouldn't have made any logical sense either way.

Her facial expression turns into a look of fear and then an instance later, a look of pain. She makes a sound like she gasped but it could have been a sob. Now I really want to wake her up but her hand grasping mine is stopping me.

She seems to be having a nightmare but about what I'm not sure.

A single tear begins to form at the corner of her eye but it doesn't fall. It just stays there like a raindrop on a leaf. It looks so innocent but what it came from was not a lovely thing.

Tina begins to mumble something and it takes a minute for me to realize that she's saying my name.

"Tina," I say trying to move my hand to rest on her head but the needles are jabbing me.

"Artie?" Tina asks leading me to believe that she is beginning to wake up. Even so her voice sounds pained and confused like she doesn't know where the voice came from.

"Tina, shh, I'm here," I say and finally the needles in my hand stop poking me enough for me to reach out and brush my fingers against her cheek. She turns her head towards me but her eyes still don't open. "Tina?"

"Artie?" Tina says and this time her voice is more coherent than before. Her eyes are moving under her eyelids like she is searching for something but she can't find it.

I manage to slip my right hand into Tina's left hand. "Tina, you can wake up," I tell her and suddenly everything stops.

Tina blinks but her eyes are closed then she opens them. "Artie?" she asks staring at me. The way she said my name made it sound like she is surprised and confused that I'm there. She looks around the room like she doesn't know where she is.

"You okay, Tee?" I ask in a whisper. Tina is looking at me with an expression that tells me I sound drunk too. "You were having a nightmare," I finish and Tina's eyes went wide.

"Oh Artie," Tina gasped jumping to her feet. She seemed like she was about to throw herself on top of me but she stopped herself. I silently let out a breath of relief. I can't feel below my waist but when she throws herself on me, sometimes I feel as though my back will break in the middle of my chest.

I guess she decided that her landing on top of me was a bad idea so instead she leans down and kissed my forehead. I was a bit confused as to why she stopped herself though.

"Hey, Tee, s'okay," I say, my voice slurred together, as I move my other hand to rest on her arm.

Tina rests her head on my arm and then I realize she's crying. My arm has a few teardrops on it so I try to comfort her. I begin to rub her forearm but I am really out of it. My hand only moves a little for the amount of effort I put into it.

"Oh God, Artie, I thought you were dead," Tina says with her head still resting on my arm but her voice was shaking, jeez, she's shaking.

Suddenly I remember that morning. Jeez, I guess she does have a reason not to jump on top of me. Suddenly the whole breaking my back again thing doesn't seem so bad as to what could have happened.

I give her arm a reassuring squeeze while a small chuckle escapes my lips. "You're not gettin' rid of me that easy," I say and I begin to laugh.

She lifts her head and looks into my eyes. I smile at her and suddenly her face and eyes have a look or realization.

After a minute, she leans down and kisses my cheek. She had a slight look of pain on her face but with all the emotions running through her mind right now, I'm not 100% positive of what emotion is on her face.

I squint at her trying to see her more clearly but it just doesn't work.

"Do you need your glasses?" she asks as she begins to look around the room.

"They broke in this whole mess," I say and smile remembering how they came to be that way. "Mom and Dad went home to get some things for me and they are gonna bring my other pair."

My eyes land on my hand, which is resting in Tina's, and immediately feel sick again. There have to be five IV's in the back of my hand all giving me different medications. I think I might throw up. "Hey Tee, can you come 'round to this side?" I ask looking back up to her. "Looking at all these stupid tubes is sort of freaking me out." I lie.

The truth is, it brings back a lot of memories from after the accident that I don't want to think about. I had just gotten to the point where I could drive past that spot on the highway and not become panicked.

Tina smiles as I look down at the IV's again then out of the corner of my eye I see her begin to move, but she's still sitting. It takes me a minute to realize why.

"My chair?" I ask after she has made herself comfortable on the other side of me. "I'm gone one day and you steal my chair. Kinda stalkerish, don't you think?"

"Your dad got it for me. I sort of twisted my ankle. How are you feeling?" she asks changing the subject like it was a bad thing that she injured herself. She also has a happy look on her face like just the fact that I'm talking to her is enough to let her know that I'm okay.

"Pretty good right now, but that's probably because I've got enough morphine in me to put an elephant out," I say and grin. I know that making jokes is enough for her, no matter how bad they are. "It's sort of making my head feel really weird though."

"I bet," Tina says smiling. Slowly I move my left hand to rest on one of hers. We just stay like that for a while each thinking out own thoughts and watching each other.

It's crazy to realize that earlier today, if my dad hadn't found me I would have never seen her again and judging by the expression on her face that I can make out, I know that she is thinking along the same lines.

"Did it hurt?" Tina asks but as soon as the words leave her mouth I can tell that she regrets speaking them.

"Have you ever been hit by a truck?" I ask but one the words process in my head I realize that I said them sounding like it happens everyday. Tina shakes her head no, so I continue. "Me neither," I lie like I have no clue. Truth be told, I remember everything about the accident. The car hitting my door, the door panel crunching into my back, slamming into the opposite door, I remembered everything.

"I'd imagine it feels something like this morning," I continued without a pause. "It was kind of weird, because I was fine. One minute I was getting ready for school, then the next it felt like my chest was getting crushed. I honestly thought I was having a heart attack and all I could think was 'I'm too young for that.' After that I couldn't breathe, which was the really scary part. I remember falling out of my chair. My dad found me after that, and I can't really remember much more. I was pretty out of it plus it's hard to focus when you can't breathe."

I couldn't help to remember the entire morning like it was my life flashing in front of my eyes.

_**I woke up, feeling something was off. I really couldn't place it but I just had the feeling that something is going to go wrong. I lay in my bed for a little while longer until I heard my parents get up and start preparing for their day.**_

_**By the time I slowly made my way over to the edge of my bed the strange feeling that I had was nearly forgotten about. I was dressed in my blue plaid pajama pants with my big, light green shirt that on the front has a picture of a bear chasing a man and under that it says 'Canadian **__**Fast Food**__**.' My dad got it for me when he went on a business trip to **__**Canada**__**. When he gave it to me he told me he looked everywhere for one with a wheelchair but I still loved it.**_

_**Carefully I pulled my chair over to the side of my bed and locked the wheels. I slowly pulled myself out of my bed and after getting myself situated on the seat and stretched, I unlocked the wheels and moved over to my closet.**_

_**I pulled out one of my nearly 20 pairs of kakis and one of my almost 50 pairs of white button down shirts. Next came one of my very nice and very stylish sweater vests and my piano belt. It was my favorite belt.**_

_**After situating my clothes for the day on my lap I wheeled myself over to the bathroom to shower and get dressed.**_

_**Finally emerging from the bathroom with myself fully cleansed, situated and, looking in my opinion, very nice, I began to wheel myself over to my dresser so I could brush my hair.**_

_**I was halfway there when suddenly it felt like someone took a sledgehammer to the center of my chest. I doubled over so fast; I didn't even notice that I slammed my head into my knees (not that I felt it on my legs).**_

_**It felt like a full hour that I just sat there doubled over clutching my chest, when suddenly there was another blow. This time it hit so hard that I fell propelled myself out of my chair.**_

_**My glasses, in all of the confusion, were knocked off my nose and fell to the floor where I landed on top of them but that wasn't really the main thing on my mind. I couldn't breath and I'm pretty sure that air is more important than glass.**_

_**Still trying to get air into my lungs while trying to force myself into a sitting position, my dad came running into my room. He took one look at me and gasped. **_

"_**Artie!" he screamed and ran over to me. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me into his lap where he tried to calm me down.**_

"_**Dad…" I managed to get out before my mom came running into the room. She was in hysterics screaming something along the lines of 'are you was okay?', 'what's wrong,' and, 'Oh my Goodness!'**_

"_**I- I- can't- breath…" I managed to get out in my fight for oxygen. I could feel my mind slipping over the edge into darkness.**_

_**My dad, being the only person in a reasonable state of mind, managed to calm my mom down enough to tell her to call 911. After my mom left the room he turned his attention back to me.**_

"_**Artie," he called out to me but my mind was slowly going blank. "Arthur," he screamed while gently slapping my cheek, "I know that it's hard but you have to keep your eyes open okay?" he asked looking me square in the eyes.**_

_**I nodded but still my eyes kept slipping closed. Even so, my dad, each time my eyes drifted closed, would slap my cheek trying to keep my attention.**_

_**I could vaguely hear my mom in the kitchen telling the dispatchers our address and to hurry but after that I only caught bits and pieces of what she said. Whether it was her sobbing or my mind slipping I couldn't tell. **_

_**By the time I heard the sirens outside our house and the paramedics come crashing through the door, no matter how much my dad urged me to keep my eyes open, I just couldn't. **_

_**My mind only slightly registered my dad telling the paramedics I was a paraplegic and them strapping me to the backboard and by the time they rushed me out the door, my mind was already gone.**_

I'm suddenly pulled out of my flash back by Tina squeezing my hand. "I'm glad you're okay," she says and I turn my eyes back to her while I smile.

"Me too," I say squeezing her arm reassuringly.

"Go to sleep, Artie," Tina says eying me cautiously like I could die at any moment but she laughs to tries and cover it up.

I can feel the drugs in my system trying to pull be back under and I am suddenly overwhelmed by the urge to yawn. But I don't want to go just yet. I yawn but that wasn't the smartest idea that I'd ever had. My chest rises too much and I can feel the prickling of pain in my chest.

I can tell that Tina saw that I was in pain but I begin to talk not wanting her to worry about it. "Yeah, maybe," I say. I bite down on my lower lip. It's a habit that I have when I'm nervous. I glance at Tina and blush not knowing how to put this. "Tee," I say after I find out how I want to phrase my request, "could you… can you stay here till I fall asleep? Hospitals freak me out."

"I'm not going anywhere," Tina says in a way that I instantly understand that she means it as a promise. I smile and let my head sink back into the pillow. I close my eyes, but I keep my grip on her hand. I don't know why. Maybe I thought that she would leave when I wasn't looking but I knew she would never do that. I guess it was just because it was nice to have her so close to me. I mean, after all that we've been through.

Tina lays her head down on my arms again. I can tell that she has closed her eyes too.

"Tee?" I ask and Tina shifts to, I guess, look at me. "You know what the last thing I remember thinking before everything went all fuzzy and dark was?"

"What?" Tina asks like it was the most important thing for her to hear the answer.

I can't help but smile a bit when I realize how she is going to react to the answer. "Tina's gonna kill me for leaving her alone in science."

I can almost hear the smile spread across Tina's face.


	3. Chapter 3

No Air

Artie's Point Of View

****************************************Chapter 3****************************************

'Ughh' I groan in my head as I realize I'm awake again. I don't want to be, I just want to sleep and relax some more. I mean… I've just had my chest cracked open and then sewn together again. For all I care, I should be allowed to sleep.

Faintly I hear something in the background as I listen closer.

_You with the sad eyes_

_Don't be discouraged_

_Oh I realize it's_

_Hard to take courage_

I open my eyes to look at the person singing and smile to myself. No matter the situation, Tina can sing, her voice ringing out above anything else. That was the one thing that I wanted to hear why I was practically dying in my dad's arms. I begin to sing along with her and suddenly she turns to me.

"Artie?" Tina suddenly asked. I guess I was singing a little louder than I meant to be. I can see her looking at me but the lack of light in the room isn't really helping the fact that all I can see is a blurry mass of black and blue.

"Hey," I say and judging by the expression I can make out on her face, I'm guessing that I sound a lot better than before. "What time is it?" I ask looking around for a clock. I find one but it is definitely out of my range of view.

"Just about ten," Tina says glancing to the clock I had just been looking at. It must be nice to have the ability to see no matter what time of day it is and to not have to worry about glasses.

I laugh at my own thought and my next realization. When I first woke up it was maybe around 4 so I just had a six-hour gap to sleep. "Wow," I start as I rub the sleepiness out of my eyes, "talk about a power nap." I push myself up a little further on my pillows and squint trying to see Tina's face a bit better.

It doesn't work but suddenly there is a pair of glasses in front of my eyes.

"Here," Tina says as I take them and put them on with a sigh. I know just how bad it is to be crippled but not having my glasses is almost just as bad.

"That's so much better," I say and laugh at the face that Tina makes. She has a look of pure confusion mixed with a dash of glee. "You were just sort of a black and blue blur before." I clarify while I look around the room. "Where'd my parents go?"

"Home," Tina says eyeing me carefully like I might break into tears when I find my parents gone. 'I'm not two anymore,' is what I want to tell her but to her, I'm helpless and crippled and I can't do anything about it while I'm lying on this bed.

"Neither of them can get off work on such short notice since they both missed today, so they needed to go sleep." She finishes when she sees my face.

"What about you?" I ask. She looks like she has some dark circles under her eyes but noting that I nearly died and she had no clue about anything I think it could be make up.

"You aren't getting rid of me that easy," Tina says looking at me with a determined face while at the same time I can't help but smile.

"Touché," I say. "Thanks. For staying." And I wish she knew just how much I mean it.

"If I'd have gone home all I've had heard was chaos from my mom about my ankle and I really don't want to listen to that. It's easier to just camp out here where she can't get to me," Tina says and although it's true, I know that's not the reason. I just smile at her to let he know that I do care.

Truth is, is wouldn't want to leave anyway. She would much rather be here with me but only as friends. Nothing more.

"Did you really sprain it running here?" I ask. It's not that I don't believe her it's just… well I didn't and still don't think she would care enough about me to run all the way from school to the hospital just for me. I mean, considering everything that I've done to her.

"Dad told me earlier while you were still asleep, I just forgot with all the morphine. I can't believe you actually ran all the way here from school. That's like three miles. You hate running." I finished, clarifying myself.

"But I don't hate you," Tina said and I immediately feel my heart sink. I had done terrible things to her and yet here she is, sitting with me all through the night and day after running three miles and spraining her ankle. Wow, I really feel like a jerk.

"Although if I'd know I'd trip and make an idiot of myself, I might have just waited for a bus instead." Tina finishes and instantly my heart leaps into its normal place in my chest.

I sigh, it's 10 and I feel as though I just had a massive coffee intake. I'm so wired. "Well now that I've slept for like twenty-four hours, I'm wide awake. Did they leave the remote for that television in here? We can see if there's anything good on."

"I doubt there is," Tina says but she grabs the remote off the table anyway and hands it to me.

I scoot carefully to the other edge of the mattress careful of my chest and then pat the empty area next to me. I am so glad Tina doesn't hate me because if she did, I would never have gotten this chance. She gets up and sits down on the bed, making herself comfortable next to me.

I start forging through channels as Tina moves the bed into a more reclining position. After the bed was in a comfortable position Tina moved her bandaged ankle on top of my leg.

Normally I would have felt sick to the point of puking, because I was seeing something that I couldn't feel touching me but with Tina, for some reason it doesn't bother me.

After flicking through the channels, all of which seem to be the channels that my grandmother has on her TV, I settle on a classic movie channel figuring that there will be songs on it that Mr. Schue is going to make us perform at least once sooner or later.

It's playing an old black and white film that I think my mom made me watch with my Mimi at some point in time but even so, it brings back memories and I can't help but to wonder if Tina is thinking the same thing.

Me. Her. Together in my bedroom watching some random movie after school. It's those times that I miss and when I think back to them, I can't help but think that if I had reacted differently, if I had just been glad that she told me the truth, we would still be together.

Glancing at Tina, I notice how she is just staring at the TV so I decide it's time to make my move. Ever so carefully I move my hand off of my lap and gently push it into her empty hand. She doesn't resist but instead she just lets my hand grasp hers.

We stay like that for a while until finally I can't take it any more. I have to ask. "You were saying my name. When you were asleep earlier, you kept saying my name, and you sounded – scared?" I wasn't sure that was the right word to use.

"It was just a nightmare," she says shrugging like it's no big deal but for me it is. I thought she wanted nothing to do with me. Yet, while she's unconscious she says my name.

"Do I really give you nightmares?" I ask. I know that I probably gave her the biggest scare of her life but seriously.

"If you weren't in the hospital I'd hit you," Tina says in a matter-of-factly tone of voice, "and yes, when you go and get all wigged out so I spend all morning wondering if you're gonna come out alive, you give me nightmares."

Suddenly it hits me. Now that I've had plenty of time to think about what happen I understand why I'm in the hospital in the first place. "I'm sorry," I say as I reposition my glasses on my nose. It's another habit I have when I nervous but I can't help but feel guilty. I pull my hand out of hers and I fold it into my lap.

"Artie, I –" Tina says stopping mid-sentence like she doesn't have any words that are right. "I didn't mean it like that, I'm just still freaked out. I don't blame you or anything." She finishes but it's not what she said that is making me feel like a complete jerk.

"It's my fault though." I say, stopping her from trying to tell me that it's not. "This whole thing, it's my fault. They warned me that I needed to be careful about it, and work on my legs every night so I didn't build up clots. But it'd been so long and there were no problems, and I got – I don't know – over-confident. With everything else going on, I just figured it'd be okay if I missed one night. And one night became two, and then there were more nights I was skipping than I was actually doing what I was supposed to." It's the same thing that people on planes are supposed to do during long flights. I was supposed to be moving my legs around and stuff like that but I couldn't even remember the last time I'd actually done it.

"You couldn't have known," Tina says. Her eyes, although I am not looking at then, are pleading with me, trying to tell me that it really isn't.

"Except I did know." I say laughing but it's forced. I'm trying to make Tina a bit more secure.

It was almost 10 months after my accident and my doctor finally let me go home but as I was wheeling myself out the door he stopped me. "You have to remember to move your legs yourself at night," he told me, "or else we might end up right back at square one."

Since that night I had, but then I was so busy. First it was one night then two then three and finally I forgot completely. I knew in the back of my mind that not stretching them could be bad but for some reason I saw it as a challenge.

Suddenly something touches my hand. I flinch away unconsciously but then I let Tina just wrap her fingers around mine. "Well I guess you'll know better from now on, won't you?" she asks and I can't help but to smile slightly and laugh.

Tina is still looking at me and I say the only thing that comes to my mind, "You're kind of insane." Tina just smiles at me and I can't do anything to stop the smile that is spreading across my face.

We go back to watching the movie but in all honesty, I would much rather be talking to her. It's been forever since we just talked. "So is your mom really fine about you being here or were you just saying that?" I ask trying to start a conversation.

"She's actually fi- wait," Tina says turning to stare at me with eyes that almost say I'm going to kill you. "You brat, you were awake the whole time?"

"Most of it," I say feeling slightly ashamed. Then Tina punches my arm. I rub the place she hit me tenderly but she didn't even hit me hard enough. She could have punched a fly just as hard and he wouldn't have even felt it. "Ouch! Hey, what happened to not hitting the hospital guy?"

"That was before I found out hospital guy was eavesdropping on me," Tina says but then she looks embarrassed like me hearing the conversation she had with my parents was a bad thing.

"_of all the people in this world, Artie is the one who I am closest to,_" those world were ringing in my head and they were the most honest words that I think I've heard anyone say in quite some time.

"Hey, it was innocent," I tell her trying to calm her down. "Are you really not going to school tomorrow?"

"I can afford to miss a day or two," she says but then, as if to give an excuse she continues. "There's no way I'm suffering through another class with Mr. Spencer by myself."

Suddenly I feel hope boil up inside me. "So, does that mean that you'll be coming back tomorrow?"

"Artie, I'm not leaving so that would mean yes, I will be here tomorrow," Tina says and with that I want to just wrap her in the biggest hug.

"You know what I mean." I say raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, I think this could be a good place to hide out while I'm skipping school. The company's not so bad." She gently nudges my shoulder and I smile and nudge her back.

"Thanks, Tee," I say and I genuinely mean it.

"No problem. Now turn up the volume, we're missing the movie." Tina says and I laugh while I turn the volume up. I have never seen her so excited to watch a black and white film.


	4. Chapter 4

No Air

Artie's Point Of View

****************************************Chapter 4****************************************

It's funny watching Tina wake up because when she does, her mind isn't really all there. She first shifts then she's confused if she's in any place other than her room.

I see her wake up but she doesn't open her eyes. Instead she just groans and shifts her head into a more comfortable position. Her face, next, has a look of confusion and she slowly opens her eyes. She is looking at me but she's not looking high enough to see my face. She looks down and notices her leg draped over mine, and her face grows into an even more confused expression.

She looks up again but this time into my eyes. I can't help but to smile. She looks so innocent and cute like that and I know that we're not going out but I could just kiss her. Instead I settle for just a simple greeting. "Morning, Sunshine." I say with an accidental chuckle.

"I fell asleep?"

"Yeah, pretty fast," I say, "It's cool, you had a long day and you didn't take an eight hour nap like I did." Tina begins trying to brush her hair with her fingers but once she realizes how knotted it is, she just puts it into a simple pony tail.

"What time is it?" She asks once she gets her hair in order.

I look out in the hall since I still haven't found a clock in my room. "About three in the morning. I hope you're not cold. I was gonna try to put the blanket over you but…" I pause, "I'm _pretty_ sure I'm not wearing pants."

Tina just stares at me for a minute, processing what I just said I guess. But once the words settle into her brain, she just laughs. "It's okay, I'm fine," she says with a smile still on her face. "Did you get more sleep?"

"Nah, I'm not tired." I can see Tina staring me square in the eyes although I'm not looking into hers. "It's nothing, my chest just twinges a bit."

"They haven't given you any more morphine?" Tina screams jumping up. I'm guessing she is either going to go get a nurse or beat one up. I'm hopping for the latter because that would just rock.

"They've got one of those buttons you push for it but I don't want to do it. It makes my head feel really funny. Besides, it doesn't really hurt that bad," I say but that's not the entire truth.

"Artie, they took a bunch of knives to you, it's gotta hurt a bit," Tina says trying to reason with me but it's not going to work.

I glance down at my chest as I realize she's only saying the truth. I mean, just yesterday I was lying flat out on my back with my chest divided in two. "It does look kind of creepy," I say motioning towards my chest to clarify what I mean.

Tina slowly leans in towards my face and I realize that she's curious but… I'm only wearing a hospital gown. I gently push one arm across my stomach only feeling half of it though. Tina stops moving then blushes. I guess that she realized what I was doing too.

Slowly she leans in closer to me and places her cheek against mine but whether it's my cheek that is warm or hers, I don't know.

It's weird having Tina look down my shirt but the hack marks that I have on my chest are even weirder. There are three of them. One is right down the center of my chest and starts in the middle of my upper chest and ends in the middle. The other two are just on the side of the big one and are about half the size.

"Whoa," Tina says moving away so fast it seems like she was scared of them. "That's weird."

"Tell me about it," I say and laugh but my chest hurts too much. Tina is looking at me like she is suspicious but I smile at her and move to hide the morphine button. Who knows what she would do if she got her hands on it.

"You really should get some more sleep," Tina says changing the subject before I get the chance to.

"I'm fine, Tee," a bit harsher than I wanted but I try to cover it up.

"Okay," Tina says and I guess my cover up worked because she settles back down onto the bed on her elbow. "So how was the rest of the movie? It was actually kind of interesting, I wanted to see the end."

I am amazed at how quickly she let the whole matter drop but that's Tina for you. I think that she has a minor cast of ADD.

"The end was pretty lame," I say relaxing a little bit. "Typical turn around, it ended up being the brother instead."

"Should have seen that one coming," Tina said shaking her head the same way someone would do when they feel like an idiot. But Tina is anything but dumb. "So what did you do the whole time I was asleep?"

"Watched more movies," I say, hinting towards the TV. Tina looks at the TV. Her face shows the surprise when she realizes that it's still on but just on Mute. "Found a Hitchcock to watch, and then some reruns of Star Trek. I forgot how funny that show was." I say finishing my answer to her question.

"Which version?" Tina asks and I am surprised that she knows the different versions. "The original or the one with the bald guy?"

I laugh but only slightly so I don't hurt myself. "The original. I used to watch it all the time with my dad, but I haven't seen it in years." Thinking back on it, the last time that I watched it with my dad was about a week before the accident. We used to watch it together on the couch all the time but after the accident Star Trek kind of became very low on the list of _important-things-to-do-with-dad_.

"I don't think I've ever actually watched it," Tina says, glancing at the TV curiously.

"Really?" she had known about the different versions so I though she'd watched it at least a little bit. "I thought everyone had seen it at least once. Here." I turn up the volume so that she can watch it as we settle back onto the bed. It's a full half hour until she lets her head rest on my shoulder.

"Tee, you going back to sleep?" I ask quietly just in case she already has fallen asleep.

Tina looks up at me and smiles. "No, I'm just – I'm really happy you're okay," she says and I can tell that she genuinely means it. I blush as Tina moves her head to plant a kiss on my cheek. After she moves away our eyes meet and I can't help but feel the same feelings that I felt for her before she told me about her stutter. After a moment she gives me another kiss but this time on my lips and I can't help but to relax. Were at an awkward angle and I feel Tina shift and now the kiss feels natural.

I want to move closer to her and once I try, I regret it. My chest feels like it's burning. Tina, noticing what is going on, puts her hand on my shoulder and pushed me flat against the mattress. "Don't hurt yourself," she says her voice and eyes pleading with me.

"I'm fine," I say and I smile at her, my genuine smile. Just that one kiss on the cheek was enough medicine to make me feel like I could get up and dance. I notice her still looking at me worried but it's nothing. "Just twisted too much, nothing big." I clarify putting a strand of hair that she missed, behind her ear.

"I'm sorry," she says quietly and I don't know what for. "I shouldn't have done that."

"No, it's – it's fine, really," I say embarrassed that she is apologizing to me. She did nothing. I'm the one who ruined the moment. "Look, Tee, things got really weird between us a while back, but I think we both made mistakes and we've both gotten past it. I never stopped liking you, Tee, even when I thought I hated you. And the way you've been here for me with this, I just – Do you think maybe we could try again?"

"Oh Artie," Tina says as tears begin to fall down her cheeks and she kisses me again. I try to prop myself up so that I don't have to stretch to reach her but she doesn't let me.

I can tell that she is on top of me because of the way her hands are on the side of my head, which means that she is sitting on top of me, in a skirt, and me without pants. I don't know if it should matter that there's a blanket between us or not.

I take the initiative and intensify our kiss and I can tell that Tina is really enjoying this moment. I reach up with my empty hand to hold her head in my hand and then I move it to the back of her neck so that I can pull her even closer to me. I put my other hand against her cheek and I feel her let out a breath onto my lips.

I love this. I know that Tina and I have had our hard times, but I really am glad that she still has the same feelings for me, that I have for her. I just wish that –. I can feel my eyes fluttering and I stare at Tina in confusion. I kiss her again but I just can't keep my eyes open and my head is beginning to feel really fuzzy.

"I'm sorry, Artie, but I care about you too much to watch you let yourself suffer," Tina says, her voice thick. I don't understand what she is saying but after a few moments it hits me. I glance down at her hand to confirm my suspicions.

Yup. The morphine button.

I don't even know what to say. She was kissing me only to get the stupid button out of my hands. "You suck," I manage but it sounds more like a funny statement than a threat. "You tricked me," I say and even I can tell that my words are slurring together.

"I know, and I'm really sorry. But I knew you weren't going to do it, even though we both know you need it." Tina says her voice genuine and sincere.

"Were you just acting then?" I ask, letting my head sink into the pillow a little more. I don't want her to just be acting. I want to know that what we just did was really feelings that we both had.

"No," Tina says sounding very convincing but I just don't know what to think. "I really do want to try again if you do. I was only planning to kiss you, I hadn't counted on your little speech, but I still meant everything."

"Did it make it harder for you to do?" I question her. I try to focus on her, but slowly everything in the room is becoming just as fuzzy as my mind.

Tina blinks. "Yes, it was like hell."

I look at her for a minute and suddenly a huge wavy of blurriness hits me. "Good," I say and I smile slightly. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one suffering from this. I slowly let my eyes close but I don't want to pass out just yet. "Thanks. For taking care of me, and all."

Tina, with the cutest smile on her face, brushes the hair out of my eyes. "I won't leave you alone here," and I nod knowing that she is not just telling me something to make me feel better but that she is telling me a promise.

"Tee, sing it for me?" I ask.

"Sing what?"

"You know," I say knowing all to well that she knows the song I really want to hear right now. Gently, she takes my glasses off and sets them on the bedside table. Next she curls up next to me on the bed. Gently she puts one of her hands over the one resting on my stomach as she puts her head into the crook of my neck.

"_You with the sad eyes, don't be discouraged, oh I realize it's hard to take courage…_"


	5. Chapter 5

No Air

Artie's Point Of View

******************************************Chapter 5******************************************

If it's possible to become paralyzed from the top of your head down then that's what happened to me. My head feels heavy just like the rest of me and I really don't know why.

Lets see, I'm in a hospital that much I know and I was watching Star Trek with Tina then we kind of made out and oh right… that's what happened. Tina drugged me and then I passed out.

"They should be moving him later today," I hear someone say but my brain can't pick out whose voice it is. It could be my dad's, one of the doctors, some random person just telling my parents what the plan is.

Slowly I open my eyes. It's not too bright in the room but it's enough for me to see the silhouette of Tina sitting on the edge of my bed.

She turns and looks at me and I feel something in my hand. I look down and notice that Tina's hand is in mine and I really can't remember how they got like that. Seriously, I have no clue.

"Hey, you awake?" Tina asks quietly, gently shifting so she can see me better.

I look up at her and smile. Suddenly I remember how our hands ended up that way. I fell asleep with Tina holding my hand after she promised that she wouldn't leave. I guess she kept her promise. "I think so. I'm not sure, someone drugged me."

Tina immediately blushes and starts to look all over the room. She leans over and places something on the bedside table, which judging by the time I think it is could only be coffee, and picks something else up. She puts them in front of me and, seeing clearly through the lenses that are there, I grab them and put them on. Once I have them on I look over and spot my dad, grinning. "Hey Dad."

"Hey there, Sport," my dad says. He stands up and comes over, to the side of my bed. Gently he kisses me on the forehead and I blush remembering that Tina's in the room. "How you feeling?"

"Better," I say with a smile on my face. "Tons better. Where's Mom?"

"She's already at work, but she wanted to let you know she loves you and she'll come over as soon as she gets off work," my dad answers clarifying the reason that my mom isn't there but I could have assumed. Whenever I go to the hospital, even for simple appointments, my mom is always there. I think she thinks that whenever I go through the doors it means that I'm dying.

My dad runs a hand through his hair, "So you're turning Tina into a Trekkie, are you?"

I glance at the TV and notice that Star Trek is still playing and I can't help but to smile at Tina. "I just introduced her, I didn't expect her to leave it on the channel after I fell asleep." I thought that after I was out she would change the channel to something with animals.

Jeez! Quickly I let go of Tina's hand realizing that I'm holding it and my dad is in the room.

My dad quietly laughs and tries to hide a smile but he really wasn't ever good at hiding his emotions. "I wasn't going to say anything about it," he says, "but I should warn you that if your mother catches you two holding hands she may spontaneously combust with happiness." I look at Tina. She's blushing too and judging by how hot my face feels, I know I am too.

Suddenly there is a nurse in the doorway with a tray of food. She knocks gently on the open door, "Good morning," she says sounding like she has said that too many times and now she is faking her pleasantness. "Are you ready for some breakfast, Arthur?"

"Artie," I say while Tina and my dad says the same thing.

She looks like she saw a ghost but she quickly recomposes herself and smiles. "Sorry. Artie," she corrects. She walks over to my bed and pulls the table that is next to the bed over so that it makes a little desk like contraption over the bed. Quickly she puts the tray down and suddenly I don't think of her as nice.

What is on the tray shouldn't even be counted as food. I mean wow, here are people in the hospital, and you're serving me stuff that looks like it could kill me. After my accident I specifically remember my first request being that I wanted my mom to bring in food for me because the hospital food made me feel even worse than the medicine did. Honestly it doesn't look like it has improved that much.

The nurse moves around the room checking the various machines that I am hooked up to and once that is done, she looks at the clipboard hanging off the bed. "It looks like everything is good," she says smiling again.

She is definitely not happy about being here. I have been around nurses and doctors long enough to tell that she has no care about what my charts say and whether they are good.

"All of your vitals are still fine. Are you having any trouble breathing?" She asks and I shake my head no. "How's the pain?"

"Fine, the morphine hasn't worn off yet," I say and it's the truth. I think that Tina gave me an extra strong dose.

"Well when it does you go ahead and just push that little button there," the nurse says and points to the morphine button. I thank her and turn my attention to the grayish oatmeal. I start poking it with my spoon when the nurse talks again, "You're lucky to have such a supportive family. I saw your sister in here with you all night."

Now I am completely confused. I guess that Tina saw it too because she touches my arm then mouths 'me.' Okay I think that I am completely out of it but I smile. "Yeah, she's great," I say and once the nurse leaves, I turn to Tina. "My sister?"

"Only family is allowed in the ICU," Tina says giving me the necessary piece of information that I needed to wrap my head around the reason why Tina was suddenly my sister. "Your dad told them I was your adopted sister so I could come in." 

I glance at my Tina. "Wow, I didn't see that one coming," Then I look up at my dad. "Thanks, Dad." I could see him arguing the fact that Tina was my sister.

"No problem, Sport," he says then looking at his watch and frowns. "Sorry but I've got to go or I'm going to be late. I'll see you later, alright?"

"Bye," I say know that he is talking about work. My dad kisses my forehead and I really don't feel bad about it. If it makes him happy than it's fine. Tina and I are silent for a bit while I go back to trying to figure out if the "food" in front of me is even edible. "I'm afraid of this," I saw after I realize that this is probably more dangerous than open surgery and Tina just laughs.

"So am I," she agrees and I push the tray away. I look at Tina after something else comes to realization.

"You know, I really hope the doctors weren't watching us all night," I whisper just in case the doctors are listening. "They'll think we're really screwed up and have us both institutionalized." I finish with a smile.

"Why?" Tina asks completely confused.

I laugh, "Tee, this might be small hick-town Ohio, but even here people don't often kiss their sisters."

It's funny to watch the realization slowly come across Tina's face as she realizes what I mean by that. I think that she is praying that the doctors weren't watching too.


	6. Chapter 6

No Air

Artie's Point Of View

******************************************Chapter 6******************************************

It's almost two in the afternoon and Tina and I have managed to eat most of my lunch after spending about half an hour picking through it. We're listening to her iPod, each with a headphone in our ear, playing thumb wars.

I have to say, Tina really sucks at it but maybe she's just letting me win since I nearly died. But that's not like her. Normally she would try her hardest at anything. I don't know, maybe I really am just that good.

"Hello, Arthur." Someone calls from the door of my room but even before I look up I correct him.

"Artie," I say and then smile. Tina corrected him as well. We both look up and standing in the doorway is a doctor, carrying a chart in his arm and smiling.

I guess that I should finish this. I pin Tina's thumb beneath mine and Tina looks down at our hands trying to escape my grasp but it doesn't work. I just laugh.

"Right, Artie," the doctor says looking at his chart and walking over to the side of the bed. "And you must be his sister?"

"Tina," she says with a little nod. I look at her confused but the look she returns tells me, 'don't say anything. I'll tell you later.'

"Nice to meet you," the doctor says and after that he turns to me. "Well Artie, it's been twenty-four hours and your vitals are looking great, even better than expected. So we're going to go ahead and move you to another room out of the ICU."

I nod but suddenly I'm worried. "Tina will still be able to come with, won't she?" I don't know why I'm nervous but I can't help it. I know that I'll be able to see her again but it would just seem strange without her.

The doctor smiles, "of course," he says and I relax my hand that I hadn't even notices was crushing Tina's. "You'll be out in the main part of the hospital, so you'll be able to have non-family visitors too. That way all of your friends can come up and see you."

"Oh," I breathe. I notice Tina looking at me and I shake my head indicating that we weren't even going to have that discussion. "Alright then."

The truth is I don't really want people to come a visit me. They see me in the chair all the time and that's the only thing. They see me as helpless and weak. Them seeing me in the hospital, just sitting there, unable to do anything will only facilitate the thoughts they have about me being useless. I don't want them to see me like that; I just want them to see me as a normal human being.

The doctor gets a couple of nurses and orderlies from the hall as Tina gets off the bed and into my wheelchair. When the doctor comes back he looks at Tina with a confused surprised type of way. "Are you paraplegic as well?" he asks inquiringly.

"What? Oh, no," Tina answers quickly, "Sprained ankle." The doctor glances at her bandaged ankle and then nods. She moves out of the way and suddenly I'm surrounded by all the people ready to move my bed.

"We're taking him up to the sixth floor," the doctor says to Tina. "Room 32. The elevator will be full with the bed in it, but you can follow us up. If you get lost just ask a nurse for directions."

"Okay, thanks," Tina says and she looks at me. I have to glance around a nurse to see her completely but I don't care. "I'll meet you upstairs, okay?"

"Sure," I say, but for some reason I can't shake the feeling that Tina might not show. I know she will, but it's still a strange feeling.

I still stare at Tina as my bed begins to move and I have to admit, it's strange to still be sitting and moving while I'm not the one doing the moving.

As the doctors and nurses push my bed into the elevator, I can see Tina rolling herself down the hall. She has a bunch of my things in her lap and I smile. She can tell that I am scared so she smiles at me and waves until the door closes.

The ride up isn't all that strange but it sorta is because I'm just sitting there on the bed, there are about 5 doctors and nurses around me and the awkward elevator music is playing.

"Your sister really cares about you," the doctor tells me almost like he can't stand the silence as well.

"Yeah," I manage, playing along with it. "She's something."

Finally the elevator reaches its destination and once the doors open, they start to roll me out. They move me down the hall and after 30 billion turns we finally reach room 32. After securing my bed and checking to make sure that everything is in place and okay, they leave.

"Long time no see," Tina says as she rolls in and I instantly feel a huge pressure come off my chest. "You didn't think I was going to ditch, did you?"

"No, why would I?" I ask, trying hard to sound tough but I know that I'm bad at it. Tina moves the chair so that it's next to my bed and after putting the things from her lap onto the bedside table, she climbs up onto the bed with me again.

"Okay well I want to actually beat you at this thumb war thing once," Tina says sticking her hand out in front of my face. I smile and put my hand into hers.

It's about and hour and a billion games later that I finally decide to tell her the truth. "You're really bad at this game," I say as I trap her thumb again.

"No, you're just really good," Tina tries to reason but I think it might be a combination of both. "You have like – thumbs of steel."

I laugh through my nose. "Thumbs of steel?" What is she talking about? Oh the fact that I push myself around all day. I guess she's right. Arms, hands, abs, thumbs… everything but my legs are steel.

"Whatever," is all that Tina can manage and I laugh causing a moment of weakness and she slips her thumb out from under mine. "So why were you so glum earlier? I thought you'd have been excited that our friends can come up now."

Snap I'm caught. I don't meet Tina's gaze and just shrug. "Doesn't really matter to me, you're the only friend I need," I say. I know that Tina is just trying to keep me happy.

"Hey, good news, I don't have to pretend to be your sister anymore," Tina says then she leans in and kisses me. I blush and think about what the doctors might say. First she was my sister now she's not. Wow, six floors really changes things.

"That is pretty nice," I agree and suddenly a joke comes to mind. "I'm not fond of incest, even if it is adopted incest." Tina just laughs and shakes her head at how horrible that probably sounded. "So Tee, does this mean we're like – a couple?"

Suddenly Tina becomes pale and I wonder if I said something wrong. "Yeah, I think so," Tina answers after a minute and I pale at how happy I am. "Is that what you want?"

"Yeah," I say almost as soon as the last syllable of her sentence leaves her mouth. "This is kidna weird, I've never had a girlfriend before."

"Me neither," Tina says and I really can't stop myself from laughing. "Except I mean boyfriend," Tina says quickly her face becoming red. "Although I've never had a girlfriend either."

"I knew what you meant, it just sounded funny."

Where still laughing when Tina suddenly stops. "Hey Artie, you've got company," She says as she points just as a figure appears in the doorway.

"Hey Wheels," Mercedes says, coming into the room.

Kurt is just behind her. "How are you feeling?" he asks. I shouldn't have expected anything less. Kurt and Mercedes are always together.

"Hey guys," I say not even bothering to hid the excitement and surprise on my face. "What are you doing here?"

"We couldn't conduct a productive rehearsal in our current state of mind," Rachel announces, coming in behind Kurt. I'm completely baffled and I can tell by the look on Tina's face that she's amazed too. "Our morale was horribly low without your presence and it was reflecting poorly on our performance abilities."

"So we brought rehearsal to you," Finn says, following Rachel into the room. Those two are unrepeatable too.

"Hope you don't mind," Mr. Schuester says when he walks in followed by Ms. Pillsbury. "Everyone wanted to see you and make sure you were okay."

Puck and Quinn come in next, and I notice that Finn moves farther away from where he's standing, putting Rachel and Mr. Schue between them. Apparently that drama hasn't fixed itself while I've been gone. Then come Brittany and Matt and Mike and even Santana.

Suddenly I realize how many pairs/couples there are in Glee club.

"Hopefully you aren't claustrophobic," Finn says with a laugh. I mean it's not like there's 14 people in the room.

"Is that afraid of closets?" Brittany asks Santana curiously and everyone just laughs. Brittany's comments are common now. Slowly the entire group moves to make a half-circle around the bed, Quinn taking one of the empty visitor chairs with a hand on her belly and Rachel sitting on the other chair, everyone else just leans against the walls. Brittany eyes my chair and I know why. She wants to play with it but that won't happen unless I'm dead. And that's not gonna happen any time soon!

"I can't believe you guys are here," I say completely in shock. I really didn't know that every one cared about me this much. I shift myself upwards a bit more on the bed then I put my hand back in Tina's.

"We were worried about you," Quinn says. I know that she is genuinely concerned but I think Puck was just dragged along.

"We would have been up here yesterday but Tina told us you couldn't have visitors yet," Kurt says.

"And once we were informed that you are now allowed to have company, it was an indisputably unanimous decision that practice should be canceled for the day so that we could all come up to see you together," Rachel says and she smiles and looks around the room. "As a team." She adds and I think I see her glare at Puck.

I guess I look like I'm in shock because Tina squeezes my hand comfortingly. I look at each face in the room and everyone is just smiling at me I think that I might cry. I can feel my eyes starting to water and I quickly blink them away. "Thanks, guys."

"How you hanging in there?" Finn asks. I can tell that he's worried.

"Right now? I'm fantastic," I tell him and truthfully I am. Suddenly it feels like everyone in the room let out a huge sigh of relief and then everyone begins to move around and talk, just like before rehearsal. Everyone is talking to me and my cheeks are starting to hurt because no one has given me a chance to stop smiling.

We never really practiced but that doesn't matter but after an hour people start to leave in tiny groups. Santana leaves because of a family thing and Brittany leaves because Santana is her ride. Matt leaves because it's almost time for daycare to let out and Puck leaves not too long after that because elementary school is just about to let out. Quinn goes with Puck, since she's staying with him and Mike leaves about 10 minutes after them for his part-time job.

The rest stay for a while and just talk. Rachel though, to my surprise and gratitude, it talking at a reasonable speed instead of her normal marathon pace, and Finn is able comment in sometimes. Mercedes and Kurt keep looking at each other with those looks that just scream we talk to each other with our minds. The keep looking at my hand in Tina's and we both blush when we notice but decide not to say anything.

It's a bit funny though when my mom shows up because she'd never seen this many people in my room before. Tina and I are sitting on the top part of the bed while Mercedes and Kurt sit on the other end. Finn and Rachel are sitting in the visitor chairs, and Mr. Schue and Ms. Pillsbury are standing around on the opposite side of the bed. I can't hold back my smile as I introduce her to everyone and by the time I finish, she can't stop smiling either.

Mr. Schue leaves about half hour after later to go to his janitor job, and it's no shock that Ms. Pillsbury leaves with him. "Get better, Artie, we're hoping to have you back in rehearsals soon," he says on his way out. Then with a promise to come visit again, he leaves the room and walks down the hall.

"I should probably be going as well," Rachel says about twenty minutes later. "My dads will worry if I'm not home in time for dinner." That comment gets an awkward look from my mom. I guess I should tell her about that later.

"Since I'm your ride, I guess that's my cue," Finn says and stands. Rachel gives me a hug and Finn claps me on the shoulder. They both say they'll be back tomorrow, and then they're gone. Mercedes and Kurt stay for two more hours and it's not until I start yawning that they finally decide to head home. But by then it's like 8.

"Get better, Artie, it is rather lonely being the only non-jock guy in rehearsals," Kurt says. I don't want to say anything but he had been a jock for a while at one point.

"Oh and if you go and freak us out like this again, Wheels, I'm gonna have to give you a serious beat down," Mercedes threatens. I just laugh and give her a hug. I know that my mom is now a bit shocked, but I don't care. Mercedes would never hit someone. I hope…

Before Mercedes leaves, she gives Tina a hug and whispers something into her ear. I'm thinking at it's something along the lines of 'Fill me in on every detail you have or I might have to hurt you.'

"Later, guys," I say, waving at them as they walk out the door and once they are completely out of view, I slump back against the pillows. I bump Tina's elbow. "Thanks."

"What for?"

I laugh. I think she knows what for but I tell her anyway. "I know you arranged all this."

"I didn't," I answer honestly. "I just told Mercedes to let everyone know you could have visitors, I didn't tell them to come. They did that all on their own." Tina reaches over to me and gives my forearm a reassuring squeeze. "They all really care about you, Artie."

"You really didn't?" I ask. Now I am genuinely surprised because I never thought they cared about me that much. Tina shakes her head no. "Wow."

"Yeah."

I yawn again. "Hmm, but it looks like someone needs to get some sleep," Tina says.

"Maybe," I say but I don't want to go to sleep. Instead I start talking with my mom, asking how her day was with work and things like that but I can't even stay awake long enough to tell her good night.


	7. Chapter 7

No Air

Artie's Point Of View

******************************************Chapter 7******************************************

"_**Hey mom?" I ask turning from the window to face my mom as we drive down the highway away from Grandma's house. "Can I get a big bar of candy?" I don't want the little one because the little ones are for babies. I'm old enough to know that I have rights to a big bar of candy.**_

"_**Honey," my mom says smiling, "of course you ca-" but her words are cut short by the sound of her scream, crunching metal, shattering of glass, horns blaring, and tires screeching. My world is thrown into a whirlwind. It felts like it is flipping over and crashing in on its self.**_

_**I can feel my bones breaking and everything is in slow motion. I can feel the exact moment where the arm breaks and not soon after I feel my leg bend the opposite direction. It's about 30 seconds later that the pain radiating from my leg is replaced by pain in my lower back that fells like someone is stabbing me. After that, my leg doesn't even bother me at all.**_

"_**Mom?" I try to choke out but my voice gets caught in my throat. "Mom?" I start to cry but I don't want to. Big boys don't cry. I'm scared and I have every right to be. "MOM!" I scream but suddenly, like it was too much for me to do I feel my head beginning to throb.**_

_**Suddenly everything stops. Every sound, every smell, every feeling, there's nothing.**_

I open my eyes with a start, but what I see instead of a doctor's face is Tina's. I'm confused because I clearly remember, after opening my eyes for the first time after the accident, the first thing I saw was a doctor's face.

"It's okay, Artie, it's just me," Tina says. She doesn't sound that scared but I can tell that she is trying to hide it. I'm trying to figure out where I am. I know that I am in a hospital but after the accident it was a doctor not Tina. I didn't even know Tina back then. Suddenly I realize it was a nightmare, nothing more than that.

"Tee?" I ask but it comes out more like a sigh.

"Yeah, Artie, it's me," she says and I can tell that she is really happy. "Are you okay?"

I immediately back peddle. Tina can't know. She just can't! I already seem weak to her, like I can't take care of myself and this, this will only prove that more to her. I'm on my side so that I don't have to face her but it is kind of pointless because with legs don't follow and my stitches don't allow me to turn my torso that far, I can't really move. "Yeah, I'm fine," I say hiding my face in the nook of my arm.

It's about a minute before I feel Tina's hand on my arm. "Artie, what's the matter?" She asks quietly.

"Nothing," I say still a little to blank for my liking. "It was just a bad dream. It's nothing."

"Why are you pushing me away?" Tina asks hurt. It's hard to try and cover something like that up.

That hits me hard. It's not that I want to push her away, it's just I don't want her to see me like a cripple. It's hard enough that I can't even get up and walk around the hospital with her but now she sees me as helpless. I shudder and I can feel my breath catching.

"Artie," Tina says softly touching my arm again. I don't want to push her away. I put my hand over hers.

"The accident," I whisper like it's a sin to say that word. "It was the accident – the one that…" I trail off not willing to accept that fact, and unable to say the word. "I'm okay, it just – hurts to remember."

Tina lies down along my back and gently wraps her arm over my chest while she puts her chin into the curve of my neck. I relax a little and I pull her a bit closer not wanting her to disappear.

"It hurt," I say forgoing my pride. "A lot." It's funny how I've never talked about it before. Even when I went to a therapist while in the hospital, somehow I always managed to get out of talking about the actual accident. "I don't really remember a lot of it. One minute everything was normal, I was turned to talk to my mom, and then she screamed. After that it was just a lot of pain. I felt my back getting cut up and then I couldn't feel anything except the cuts on my arms and face."

I take a breath to steady myself then I tighten my grip on her hand, knowing this is what she wanted to hear. "In my dreams, everything is slow motion," I whisper. "It takes a lot longer for the pain to start going away. And I can feel the break, even though I'm pretty sure I didn't really feel it when it happened."

"The scars on your back?" Tina asks quietly and I tense. Even after the accident, when my parents would help me shower and get dressed, I would make them promise that they wouldn't look at them. Now that I think about it, the only ones who have seen them are a couple doctors, a nurse, and myself. "That's where they're from?"

Just hearing the word scars makes be think about them. There are I don't know how many, all running across my lower back. They're lighter than the rest of my skin tone and slightly risen so when I run my hand over them, it reminds me of Braille.

"_**Sir, when the other car came in contact with yours, your son's body came out of the upper portion of his seatbelt. The rolling of the car caused his spine to be pulled and misaligned. His has three broken vertebrae in his lower back." I can tell that whoever is talking is a doctor. He used a lot of big words.**_

_**My dad's breath caught in his throat.**_

"_**Depending on how well the surgeries go, and the extent of the damage will decide if he will ever walk again." The doctor says.**_

"_**Who many surgeries will he need?" my dad asks.**_

"_**It all depends. It could be just one or there could be numerous more. It all depends on the amount of damage to his spine and the vertebrae."**_

_**I want to cry but I can't. The tears just don't come and there is nothing I can do.**_

"_**When will you do the first surgery? He has already been here for a week."**_

"_**When he arrived we did a surgery to fix his arm and leg and also put in a chest tube to help remove the blood from his lungs and help him breath. We had to wait until his body recovered enough from that operation before we were able to continue. Judging from how well he has progressed so far, I can safely say that we will be able to do the first surgery by the end of the week."**_

"_**I just want my son back." My dad says his voice even more pained than before and I can just imagine him crying. "I just want him back."**_

I nod. "The accident, and the surgeries." I pause. I don't want to think about it anymore. "I'm okay," I say suddenly. I smile a bit. "Really, I am. The dreams, they just don't come back much anymore and when they do it feels like they sneak up when I'm not expecting it. But I am okay."

"You sure?" Tina asks obviously worried.

I smile. "Yeah," I say and squeeze her hand comfortingly. "It's just being in this place again. But I'm okay now."

"Okay," she says and I know she can tell that I don't want to talk about it anymore.

I turn my head to look at Tina and I smile again. "Thanks for listening."

"No problem."

I begin to play with the thing that is in my hand. I don't want to use it but I really have no other choice. After turning away from her my chest really hurts. I push it into Tina's hand and I see the realization on her face.

"Tee, can you do it? I can't," I say and Tina nods then pushed down on the morphine button. I watch her hand making sure that she does. After a little while I can feel the effects kicking in. I start to relax and Tina moves so I can lie on my back again. I keep hold of her arm and she moves in closer to me. I wrap my arms around her back and she lays her head down on my chest, careful of the stitches.

"G'night, Tee," I sigh quietly.

"Night, Artie."


	8. Chapter 8

No Air

Artie's Point Of View

******************************************Chapter 8******************************************

"Tina?" I say carefully but she just groans and pushed her head further into my chest. "Tina, wake up." I say again but she just protests again. I clear my throat. "C'mon Tee, your mom's here," I say even quieter than before.

"Mom?" Mom she asks groggily. She moves her head off of my chest and blinks a few times. Her mom is half smiling like it is kind of forced and one of her eyebrows is raised.

"Good morning, Tina," Ms. Cohen-Chang says and suddenly Tina blushes. I guess that she realized it too. Tina is, lying on my bed, using me as a pillow, while her mom is standing at the door. Tina looks at me and her face is just as red as mine.

"Hi, Mom," Tina says and her voice cracks. "What are you doing here?"

"Besides walking in on something I really didn't expect," her mom says, making Tina's face go even redder than before, "I was coming to pick you up. Ben called me last night and said you would need a ride home this morning."

"Ben?" Tina asks in confusion.

"Uh, that's my dad's name, Tee," I answer quietly under my breath.

"Oh," is the only thing Tina can respond. It's strange how we have been friends for four years and she doesn't even know my dad's name. I distantly telling her than my dad's name and my middle name were the same. Benjamin. I guess she just didn't put two and two together. Or maybe she did but got three and not four.

"You ready to go?" her mom asks, her eyebrow still raised awkwardly.

"Yeah, just a second," Tina says, but I see her pause as her feet hit the floor. I instantly grab her arm to steady her. "I'm okay," She informs me but I don't let go. I have other plans.

"Chair," I say pointing at my red wheelchair that I know she has become quite fond of.

"What'd you do?" Her mom asks and I can tell that she is worried. I mean, Tina is her only child and I know my parents always freaked out when ever I got a banged up knee or scratched elbow. And that was before my accident.

Her mom walks around the bed towards her but Tina just brushes her hand away. "I'm fine. It's just a twist." Tina tries to shake off my hand but she seems to have forgotten who beat her so many times at thumb wars. If she though my thumb was strong than there was no chance in anywhere she was getting out of my grasp.

"Tina, chair," I say again.

"I'm fine, I'm not going to take your chair," Tina says but that's definitely not what I have in mind.

I laugh. "Seriously, Tee, I'm not worried about you hocking it on eBay or anything. It's not like I'm gonna be using it for the next little while, I'm on strict bed-rest orders. Besides, you won't be gone long, will you?" I ask. Truth is, I'm actually pretty scared. I mean, what if she doesn't come back?

"Not long at all," Tina tells me and I smile. I know just how genuine her answer is.

"Then I don't see the problem," I say. I see the agreement in her eyes and I watch as she sits down in the chair. "I'll see you later, 'k?"

"Later," she agrees. "Try to get some more sleep while I'm gone, okay?"

"Yeah," he says laughing. She rolls the chair to the door, her mom following closely behind her. "Hey Tee?" I say and Tina stops in the doorframe looking back at me over her shoulder. "Bring me something good from the outside, would you?"

Tina just laughs. "You got it."

As soon as Tina leaves my old doctor walks in. "Hey Artie," he says and although I never really had, and still don't have any good memories with him, I couldn't stop the smile that was spreading over my face. "You haven't been here in a while."

I suddenly feel guilty. Normally I would visit him every other month but I forced my parents to make me stop going unless I absolutely had to. He never told me anything different just, 'Everything looks fine,' 'can you feel this,' and the occasional, 'how is _that_ doing?'

"Yeah," I answer as simply as possible. "I've been super busy." I finished emphasizing the super.

"Well I just though I'd stop by," Dr. Sherman says sitting in one of the waiting chairs by the bed. I know what this means. He wasn't going to be leaving any time soon. "So… how have you been? The last time I saw you was," he pauses to think. "Eight months ago."

"Sorry about that," I said as I think about it. Wow was it really that long ago?

"You know why I'm here don't you?" Dr. Sherman says breaking me out of my thoughts.

I nod. I know that I am going to hate this. Dr. Sherman smiles and stands up walking over to my bed.

Slowly I shift down in my bed so that I was lying on my back and smiled. I remembered when Dr. Sherman first did his tests on my legs. I'm pretty sure that I punched him in the jaw. Or was it the nose… well I punched him, that much I'm sure of. He was touching my legs and I couldn't feel it and well… it really ticked me off. So I hit him.

Carefully Dr. Sherman begins to rotate my ankle then he flexes my toes. Once that was done he moves up to my knee and bending it, he pushes it towards my chest. Although I didn't watch him, I knew. It was always the same routine since day one. Once my left side was done he moved onto the left.

"Alright," he said once he places my leg back onto the bed. "Roll over."

I reach down and cross my legs so that when I rolled they would end up flat. Shifting onto my side I rolled fully over and Dr. Sherman pulled the back of my gown open.

Carefully he begins to run his hands over the contours of my spine. "Anything hurting?"

"No," I say turning my head so that I face him. I feel his hands move down lower on my back. "Good… good," then his hand vanish and I close my eyes.

I know that he is running his hands long the scars on my lower back making sure that nothing is wrong and that my lower vertebrae are still okay. I always hated this because no matter how hard I try I just can't feel anything.

"Alright," I hear him say and I roll back onto my back. "Everything is looking perfect and I guess you can wait another eight months but I don't want you back in the hospital under these conditions."

I nod and smile. I know he really cares about me because I was his first case. He had just been admitted to the staff 15 minutes before I arrived and I was his first, only, and main priority, case.

"Hey doc," I ask making him stop in the doorway. "Do you know when I can get out of here?"

Dr. Sherman looks at me. "I talked to the doctor in charge of you know and he said by hopefully next week if everything stays on track."

I smile. "Thanks.

"Well see you later Artie," he says as he turns and walks out the door while I just smile after him.

I yawn and before I even know it my eyes are shut and I am lost in my little world of dreams and walking.


	9. Chapter 9

No Air

Artie's Point Of View

******************************************Chapter 9******************************************

I can hear pages turning and I know that it's not my mom or dad. Both my parents respect books as much as I respect my chair and those pages are turning pretty violently.

I open my eyes to see Tina leaning over her book, science I think, with a look of disgust, anger, and pure resentment, all blended into one. She turns the pages for about two more minutes and then she slams the book shut with a look of defeat. I laugh. She looks back at me gives me a smile.

"Science?" I ask just to make sure and I laugh when my suspicions are confirmed. "C'mere, lemme see if I can make it make sense to you," I say patting the spot on the bed next to me.

"How long have you been awake?" Tina asks as she moves her stuff and self onto the bed so that she's facing me.

"Only a few minutes, but it's kind of funny watching you glare daggers at inanimate objects." I take the book from her hands and begin to look over the page. I laugh to myself. This stuff? I know it like the back of my hand. Okay maybe that isn't a good representation since I don't really remember what the back of my hand looks like. I'm always wearing my gloved so… like the… wheelchair I sit on.

"Oh, and I brought you something," Tina says and when I look up she is digging in her bag. When she pulls out those chocolate cookies with white cream in the middle, I can honestly say it was even better than my nurse telling me I would have the strongest arms in the world, when I was eight.

"You are my savior," I say opening the Oreos and taking one. I notice that Tina is having a very hard time containing her laughter. "Oh c'mon, Tee, gimme a break," I say giving her a gentle push, "I've been eating hospital food for two days."

"So have I, but you don't see me having a total food-gasm over a cookie."

I blush and throw an Oreo at her. "I did not." We argue back and forth about it for a while, and I can't help but love it. Arguing, to me, makes us feel like a real couple.

"Fine, see if I help you with your science," I say crossing my arms across my chest and giving Tina the straightest face I possibly could. It doesn't work though. I can fell the smile creeping up my cheeks.

"Oh, no fair, please," Tina begs and I am having a hard time telling if she is serious or not. "I don't understand a word of this and Mom's making me go back to school Monday, and you know because I've been gone Mr. Spencer's gonna pick on me for everything."

I roll my eyes sarcastically and pick the book back up, motioning for Tina to come next to me so I can show her while I'm talking. "So you're going back Monday?" I ask. I'm really upset now. After we spent so much time together she's going to leave.

"Not willingly," she says and I know that if she had the option she wouldn't go back at all. "But then you know me, if it weren't for Glee I would probably stop going to school all together."

"That's true," and I smile. It is so true. "Wish I could go back, I'm going to be bored out of my mind here."

"When are they letting you out?" Tina asks.

I feel my heart drop. Let me out? They don't even let me wheel myself around in a hospital wheelchair let alone mine. I shrug. "Not sure yet. The doctor was in here earlier while you were gone and said so long as things stay going well, I could be home sometime next week, but my parents won't let me go back to school until I'm completely healed. You know, so I don't split a stitch getting taped to the flagpole or anything."

She just stares at me like she has never seen another living being before. "How do you take things like that so cool?"

"I don't know," I say. I guess that I've never thought about it before either. "It used to bother me when I was younger, like right after the accident, but I guess I've just gotten used to it. Besides, if you let them see it bothers you then they just do it more."

"And if you don't then they just come up with something worse."

"Well, yeah, there's that," I agree remembering the moments. "I mean, yeah, it sucks when they tape my wheels together, or lock me up in the porti-potties behind the bleachers. But stressing about it isn't going to make it any better, and it isn't going to make them stop either, so there's really no point in wasting my time."

"You are so cool," I say.

I blush. Come to think of it, Tina is the first person who has called me cool besides my parents. "Flattering the tutor doesn't mean this stuff's going to be any easier," I say pointing to the textbook. Tina just signs and I begin to play teacher.

We get through about half the chapter in about half an hour and finally Tina decides on a very smart move. "I'm bringing all of my homework to you until you come back. I actually understand what's going on when you say it." She pauses, "That's what I can do, I'll bring you your homework and we can study together. That way you don't fall behind while you're gone."

"You'd do that?" I ask and then laugh. I suddenly realize that in the time that I've been here I haven't had any homework. I winch mentally. I am going to have a lot to do. "What am I saying; I'm talking to the girl who spent the last two days living in a hospital just to keep me company. Stupid question. Thanks, Tee I appreciate it. All of it."

"Hey, that's what I'm for," Tina says nudging me with her shoulder and I smile at her. Leaning over, I give her a quick kiss knowing that it was my turn to be the one to start it.

We move back very slowly kind of like we both don't want the moment to end. But something is different. "You smell like jasmine." I never noticed and I'm wondering what it is.

"My shampoo. Why, does it bother you?"

"No, not at all, I just never noticed before." Normally I notice everything but why have I never noticed it before? It kind of makes me feel stupid. "So, should we finish this chapter?"

Tina gives me an overly dramatic sigh. "If we must," and she tops it all off with a play pout and I just laugh.

"Yes, we must," I say giving her no time to recover and as soon as the last word leaves my mouth I dive back into the chapter dragging Tina behind me.

It's hard to keep Tina on track but I guess that after an hour everyone has a hard time focusing. Even so, every time she dazes off, I just nudge her shoulder, smile, and we get back to work.

Ten minutes later, I can tell that Tina really doesn't want to learn anymore. I could continue for the rest of the day but I guess that's the habit you get when your eight, in a car accident, and all you have is a math, science, and history book with you. "Okay, clearly this is as far as your brain's gonna go today," I say tossing the book to the bottom of the bed making sure I don't hit my feet. "Although I am impressed, I think that's the longest you've been able to sit still and study."

"What about that time we were studying for that English test?" Tina notes. "That was like three hours."

"It took three hours because you kept getting distracted and going off on other things every ten minutes," I clarify, trying not to laugh.

"Okay, I'll give you that one," Tina admits although I know she doesn't want to, "But there was that time we were up half the night for that history test, and it wasn't my fault that took so long."

"That doesn't count, you're good at history," I wine with a laugh. I have to say, after my accident I don't think I touched the history book. "You were tutoring me on that one, that's different."

"You always have to be right, don't you?" Tina asks rolling her eyes but it sounds more like a statement.

"Yeah, I generally am," I reply biting into an Oreo with a silly grin. Tina grabs and Oreo and carefully takes the cookie apart. She licks the middle then puts the cookie back together and takes a bite. "Why do you do that?"

Tina looks at the half bitten Oreo in her hand and shrugs. "I don't know. It's just what I've always done. My grandpa taught me that when I was like two, and I've done it ever since."

"Weird," I say and if I hadn't been looking at her I would have missed her kicking my leg. Instantly I laugh and begin to choke on my Oreo. That was the dumbest thing the she has ever done. Tina just glares at me in annoyance but I can't stop. "Nice one," I manage, once I stop laughing and choking.

"Shut up," Tina says then she sticks the second half of her Oreo into her mouth.

"Okay, I'm sorry," I say and I mean it but I'm still laughing. I remember the first time someone had touched my legs after the accident. Thinking of it, it was Dr. Sherman. He came in to move my legs around and I didn't notice him at first, but suddenly I look and he's bending my knee. Instantly I begin to cry and throw a fit. In his attempt to calm me down, I ended up clocking him right on the nose. "That might have been a really stupid move," Tina shoves me to show her annoyance, "but I will give you smartness credits for the fact that you made the awesome choice of bringing in Oreos, which just happen to be – "

" – your favorite cookie," Tina finishes and now I'm surprised. "Yeah, I know."

"How?"

"Whenever we go to McDonalds for ice cream, you get the Oreo one, and you almost always have a package of Oreos on your desk." Okay, I can get the McDonalds one but the Oreos on my desk really surprises me. "What? I notice things. When people don't include you much, you learn everything just by watching. My bes– _boyfriend_ taught me that." I love how Tina changed words midway.

"That's gonna take some getting used to, isn't it?" I laugh. "I won't be offended if you slip up, if you promise not to get offended if I do."

"There's nothing to be offended about," Tina states. "Just because you're my boyfriend now doesn't mean you can't still be my best friend."

"I like that," I say sticking my hand out for her to take. "Deal?"


	10. Chapter 10

No Air

Artie's Point Of View

*****************************************Chapter 10*****************************************

It's finally the weekend but I still have nothing to do. Tina and I set a routine that we really can't go off of because it depends on other people. In the morning Tina's mom comes so she can shower, change, and charge her iPod since we have been listening to it almost constantly.

While Tina is gone, my doctors, the one treating me now Dr. Nice, and my old doctor, Dr. Sherman come in. Dr. Nice talks about how I'm progressing and Dr. Sherman comes in to talk and help me work my legs. It boring but for the hour and a half that Tina is gone, it keeps me company.

When Tina comes back we study so we're not so far behind. For dinner my mom cooks it at home then brings it to the hospital and Tina eats with us. It's funny to see the nurse's reactions. After dinner Tina and I lie on the bed, find an old movie and fall asleep.

The rest of Glee Club keeps their promise on visiting again. Mercedes and Kurt come as soon as the bell rings on Friday and tell us that they will be shopping Saturday but will be back Sunday. Rachel and Finn visit on Saturday bearing homemade 'get well soon' cookies from under their jackets. The nurses talk about that too. Quinn come Saturday afternoon without Puck and although she is nervous but after we talk about elementary school days, she gradually calms down.

Did you know that she and I were really good friends in elementary school? And I mean really. We did everything together but after my accident things just kind of… fell apart. We were still friends but because I was out for so long and couldn't do most of the stuff we used to, we really didn't hang out much.

Brittany comes in Saturday night with a nurse who, and I quote, "found her wondering the halls of the second floor like a child who lost her mommy." It's funny how even people who don't know Brittany can tell the type of person she is. She gives me a teddy bear holding a little soft guitar and I love it. I hug her and on several occasions, I make reference to the fact that I had to be injured more so I could get hugs from more Cheerios. Tina elbowed me after each one. I put the bear onto my nightstand and smile. Brittany stays for a while longer and although our conversation don't make that much sense it's entertaining. And I mean REALLY entertaining.

Mr. Schuester came by on Sunday morning and when I see the sheet music in his hand, my smile is so big I think it reaches my ears. "These are some of the new songs we're going to be working on this week," he says, and hands me the papers. "I know you probably can't practice much in here, but I thought you'd like to at least look over it and get a feel for it so you're not completely unprepared when you come back." He puts his hand on my shoulder. "We can't afford to lose you before regionals; Mercedes is already threatening murder if she has to do another duet with someone else."

"Thanks, Mr. Schue, this is awesome," I say as I look at the papers. Mr. Schue stays and as I play the chords on the guitar, he and Tina sing along. Once Mercedes and Kurt show up, they join in too.

"Oh, you checkin' out the new songs," Mercedes says, eyeing the papers on my lap as she sits on the foot of the bed with Kurt sitting across from her. "Mr. S gave that one to White Boy, but I know if you'd been there it would totally have been yours."

"No, Finn's the male lead, it's right he gets it," I say with a shrug. I really don't care who sings it, just as long as I'm there with everyone else on the stage performing.

"Definitely not, I'm with Mercedes on this one," Kurt says, shaking his head. "As much as I appreciate Finn's talent, your smoky, soulful tone is much more appropriate for the music than his."

"Thanks guys, but really, it's cool," I say as smooth as I can. Truthfully just what their saying is making me feel the best I've ever felt including when I could walk. "This one's not really my thing. I like the other songs we've sung better."

Mercedes smiles and starts singing, "_Rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river."_

Tina nudges my side and I shake my head. "I dunno, guys, this is a hospital. They might not appreciate it much."

"Oh, c'mon," Tina says while Kurt and Mercedes sing another line also giving me 'dare you' looks. "Music is medicine for the soul, they can't say no to medicine in a hospital, right?"

Mercedes grins at me and starts off softly, "_Left a good job in the city…"_

I pause, but after a second I give in. "_Working for the man every night and day."_

Kurt and Tina clap to keep the tempo and take care of the back-up harmonies as Mercedes and I keep singing. It's a bit touch for me to catch my breath during the song but I don't care. It's my song and I have enough energy to make an entire show choir jealous. By the time the last notes come out, I realize that we're quite loud but suddenly there is clapping coming from the door.

We all look up to see several nurses and doctors watching and I blush so red I could give a tomato a run for it's money. I was having trouble catching my breath still, but I was laughing.

Yeah, you still got it, boy," Mercedes tells me, while giving me her classic Mercedes smile.

"Thanks guys, it feels good to be singing again," I say, but I still haven't really caught my breath so it comes out kind of wheezy. Tina notices and she touches my arm slowly. When I look at her I can tell she is concerned but I just smile. It's nothing.

"Dear sweet Kristin Chenowith, if you two act any sweeter I'm going to go into insulin shock," Kurt says to us, and Tina and I just look away embarrassed. "But it's about time you realized you were meant for each other. You were both incredibly slow about it."

I look at Tina surprised. Neither of us told anyone about us being together. When we first started staying away from each other they noticed but no one told them about now.

I shrug slightly and give them a looks that say, 'well, guess the cats out of the bag.' Tina just smiles in agreement.

"So whaddya say, Wheels, got it in you for another song before Kurt and I gotta head?" Mercedes asks, quite happy about the fact of a solo without Rachel. "I miss singin' with you. I had to duet with Puckerman Friday and it was awful. His voice does not sound good with my chocolate thunder."

"I agree," Kurt says his face twisted with disgust. "His voice does not suit chocolate. His voice is more like – bacon."

"But Mr. Schue says bacon and chocolate taste good together," I note think back to the assignment none of use could do.

"It doesn't," Tina says when we all look at her she blushes. "It was a dare," Tina explains and everyone laughs. She grabs my hand and tells me "Go on, you know you want to." but I'm not sure that's true. Do I want to go on or does she just want to hear my voice.

I contemplate it for a while but then smile. I really have no choice in the matter. "Some times in our lives, we all have pain," I start and Mercedes' smile grown even bigger. "We all have sor-row."

I'm fine during the beginning of the song but towards the end it gets really difficult. I can't really draw a full breath in but that doesn't stop me. The final note finally draws out and suddenly a thunder of claps erupts from the door and I just wave shyly, unable to stop smiling.

"Alright, we gotta roll," Mercedes says as she and Kurt get up off the bed. "School night. My dad'll kill me if I don't get home soon."

"Thanks again, you guys," I say, giving both of them hugs as they get ready to go. "See ya later."

"Get better, Artie," Mercedes says kindly, surprising me when she uses Artie instead of wheels. Normally she doesn't call anyone, except Kurt, by their name. As they walk out the door they wave over their shoulder call 'see ya,' and walk out of the room and down the hallway.

"That was fun," I say, leaning back into my pillow still smiling. Tina lies down next to me and I turn my head to face her. "Thanks for convincing me. It felt good."

"It did," She agrees. "Glee's gonna be weird without you. I don't think I've ever been to a practice without you."

"Except that one when I was trapped in that janitor's closet," I remind her and she just nods and frowns. I begin to laugh remembering the moment but I start to cough.

"You okay?" Tina asks anxiously, looking at me with worry in her eyes.

I nod until the cough settles and then smile. "Yeah, just winded," I tell her. "It's nothing." I can tell that she's a little suspicious but I quickly change the subject. "So when's your mom coming to get you?"

"She's not," Tina laughs and shifts on the bed to look at me.

"I thought you had to go home to go to school tomorrow," I say now completely confused how she threw her routine out the window.

"Kurt is going to pick me up here in the morning on his way," Tina clarifies. "I don't want you to have to stay here by yourself overnight."

"You are amazing, Tee," and I gently give her a little kiss.

"I know," She say in almost that 'well duh I am' kind of way. She settles her head down on my chest and slips her arm over my stomach. I grab the remote with my other hand and turn the TV on trying to find a good channel. I find an old 80's comedy and we settle on that.

We watch that for a while and Tina starts to doze off. I can tell because her head is slowly becoming heavier on my chest than before. But... Each time that I laugh I wake her up. I don't want to wake her but the show is actually funny. I rub her back trying to make her fall asleep but it doesn't work so well.

Suddenly I find something very funny and I laugh so suddenly and loudly that Tina bolts upright nearly falling off the bed.

I laugh a little more then I feel the same sledge hammer feeling in my chest and I can't get a full breath. I push my hand to my chest and with the other, I grab Tina's arm.

I struggle to get a breath before I look up at Tina. I'm completely terrified and I know that it's written all over my face. I can feel tears threatening to spill over my eyes as I realize what's happening in front of Tina.

"Tee…" I manage but it comes out as a breath more than a statement. I tighten my hand around her arm, scared, "Breathe… can't…"

I see Tina's eyes suddenly light up like it just hit her what's going on. She breaks out of my grip, that has now grown weaker, and jumps off the bed to run to the door. "Doctor!" She screams into the hall. "We need a doctor!"

Suddenly there are doctors pushing Tina out of the way and I make a mental note to run them over with my chair later for doing that. The form a circle around me and I can't even tell where Tina is.

Suddenly I can't breath at all and one of the doctors puts the breathing mask over my face and forces air into my lungs but it's like my lungs don't want to expand.

I can feel myself slipping into unconsciousness and suddenly there is a long drawn-out beep but it's drowned out by a scream that I instantly recognize as Tina's. I try to stay awake but as Tina's scream dies out so does my mind and I can't do anything to stop it.


	11. Chapter 11

No Air

Artie's Point Of View

*****************************************Chapter 11*****************************************

It's funny how others say people in comas can't hear you. Has anyone ever asked people in comas? I'll admit, I don't really remember any of the times I was in a coma completely, but I was really banged up during them anyway. It was after the accident and I had gone through two surgeries already. The third surgery is what really did me in.

I had been unconscious when the paramedics brought me in from the accident. I had a really severe concussion. As soon as I was brought into the hospital, I was rushed right into surgery. They put in a chest tube to help drain the blood that kept filling my lung and they also fixed my broken arm and leg. After that, they waited about a week before starting the surgery on my back and during that week I woke up.

The second surgery was just to stabilize my back enough so that they could move me easier while they waited for the swelling to go down enough to see what damage was done. Once that one was done I had to wait about three days and then the next surgery came.

It lasted 13 hours, according to my parents, and it really took a toll on my already banged up and beaten body. My body was drained and I couldn't keep myself alive on my own so they put me on life support.

I really don't remember much about the coma. Just that I could hear people moving around my room randomly and at some points I could even feel them staring at me. Occasionally I heard people say, "look he moved a finger!" or "I think he is trying to open his eyes," but I never did it on purpose. I couldn't move no matter how hard I tried.

At one point I heard my mom and it was only then I remembered she was in the car too. It made my heart soar when I heard her voice and knew that she was okay. Whenever I heard her talk, it was always preceding her taking my hand and holding it. She talked to me for hours until my dad came to take her home.

I had random dreams too, but they don't make sense now when I think about them. Whether it was because I was a kid or because of all the drugs in me, I don't know but they were weird. I can't even begin to describe them. All I can say is there were alligators riding elephants and some power rangers.

I can tell you two things that I am absolutely sure about in comas. One, they suck. Your mind comes and goes like waves. First you're aware of your surroundings because the medications have worn off enough and then you get another dose and are out more than a light. Second, being on a ventilator sucks too. The constant flow of oxygen into your lungs on a fixed interval schedule really makes you feel like you are suffocating. The machine lets the air out of your lungs and you feel like your going to die before you get more air. Plus the tube down your throat isn't a plus either.

Lets just say that when your body doesn't respond, or at least the parts that should normally, it sucks because you can't do anything except lie there and feel the world go by at some pace that I've never been able to get.


	12. Chapter 12

No Air

Artie's Point Of View

*****************************************Chapter 12*****************************************

Finally I'm at the end of one of those crazy consciousness waves and my mind is beginning to work. I can feel someone looking at me but who it is, I don't know. I'm guessing it's my mom but it could be my dad. Whenever I'm in a situation like this they're always here.

"What-?" I hear someone say but I can't tell who it is. It feels like my head is underwater.

"Artie?" I hear a male voice say and instantly can tell it's my dad. It's then I can feel the tube down my throat. I hate this part. The lack of oxygen when I want it is killing me. I make my hands into fists trying to make the pain in my palms distract me from the burning in my lungs. I try to breath in, but the tube stops me.

"Hey, Sport, careful there," My dad says and he puts his hands on either side of my face. "Let the machine breathe for you or you're gonna choke. And don't move your head, alright?"

I stop trying to breath on my own and I try to open my eyes just to look around. I can feel fish net gloves over my hand and I relax my fist allowing Tina to wrap her fingers in mine. I can feel her pulse through her palm and I know that she's nervous but extremely happy.

"Alright, hold on there, buddy," my dad says. "Tina's gonna stay with you while I go get your doctor, okay?"

Normally I would blink to show that I understand but I still can't get my eyes open. I just blink anyway. It probably looks really funny.

"Hey, Artie," I hear Tina say in almost a whisper. I can feel a smile creeping across my face but my mouth is sore. Instead of hurting myself I just end up squeezing my hand to hers.

It's a few moments, or maybe minutes later, I can't tell, when something touches my forehead. I get a little surprised and shift away instinctively. The hand is cold and rough and they are definitely not my dad's.

"Oh, sorry there," a man says and I figure that my dad came back with the doctor. "I didn't mean to scare you. You finally going to come back to us, kid?"

I snort slightly. I hate being called kid. After the accident I demanded that the doctors tell me straightforward why I couldn't move my legs and they told me that I was too young to understand. I was just a kid. I demanded to know and after they told me how I would never walk again that is, in my mind, when I stopped being a kid.

I'm still trying to get my eyes open but it is really hard like there is tape over my eyes. I try for maybe a minute when finally I pry them open. They are halfway open when I slam them shut. I must have been out for a while since the light from the room is hurting this much.

"Can't you turn off the lights? They're hurting his eyes." Tina says, I'm guessing to the doctor, but I already know what his response is gonna be. My mom asked the same question after the accident.

The doctor shakes his head. "No, we've got to make sure his eyes are dilating properly."

Yup, and I'm pretty sure he answered word for word too.

I finally manage to open my eyes without them hurting too much and when I do I begin to look around the room. I see my dad and the doctor but I really don't recognize the doc. I look around some more and my eyes land on a black blob mixed with a bit of blue and I can instantly tell who it is.

"Welcome back," Tina says and I begin to smile. I'm sure that looks funny too since I have a tube down my throat.

Tina sits down on one of the chairs next to my bed, and judging by how she lets out her breath as she does, I'm guessing that she is relieved. She still keeps her hand on mine while the doctor begins his exam. He moves the bed into a sitting position and shines his pen light into my eyes. He pokes my arms to make sure that they are working along with other various tests. He doesn't check my legs so I know he was informed.

After the accident, when I woke up from my coma, the doctor was checking my limbs and when he got to my legs they didn't move. The look on his face was priceless but that's when it hit me that I really couldn't feel/move them.

"Alright," the doctor says, moving to the other side of the bed. "When I say three I want you to cough and I'll tug on the tube." I grip Tina's harder and once the doctor counts to three I cough. As soon as the tube is out I begin to lick my lips, which are really dry, but my mouth is too. I can't really get my tongue to work.

"Alright, you've got to be really careful now," the doctor cautions me as he turns off the ventilator. "Easy on the breathing, don't get worked up. Your throat is going to be really sensitive for a while, so no talking for a few days. Otherwise you'll wind up coughing and collapsing your lung again."

That's what I was afraid of. Not being able to talk. It really didn't matter when I was in the coma for the first time since I was really depressed and didn't want to talk much either way. I just nod to show the doctor that I understand. "Oh, and try and keep your head still for the most part too," the doctor adds. "If you move it too quickly you'll aggravate your throat. I'll bring in a cup of ice chips, I'm sure your mouth is feeling pretty dry." I watch the doctor pat my knee and I could almost throw up. I'm really sure that wouldn't be good for my throat. My dad, Tina, and I exchange a glance as the doctor just walks out the door like nothing happened.

"Hey, Sport, how you feeling?" my dad asks, walking over to my bed and sitting down. I give him a thumbs up but it's starting to get harder and harder to keep my eyes open. "Welcome back."

I look at Tina without turning my head and I pull my hand out of hers. She looks kind of confused but I start to mimic writing and she nods, bends down, pulls out a notebook and pen, and then hands them to me. I grab the pen and Tina opens the notebook and puts it on the bed next to me. I begin to write, bigger than usual, mostly because I can't see what I'm writing but it's really messy.

"How long was I out?" Tina reads slowly.

"Six days," My dad answers and I am really shocked. It only seemed like it was maybe a day to me. "Yeah, you had us pretty scared."

"What happened?" Tina reads as I write again. My dad explains it mostly as, your lung collapsed and you went into cardiac arrest. Tina has a look of confusion on her face but I understand it perfectly. If I could talk I would probably be the translator. I know every medical term there is. "Wow that sucks." I write and my dad and Tina just laugh while I smile, although it's painful.

It takes another minute before the doctor comes back in with the ice. I put the pen down and take it from him and pour some of it in my mouth. It feels so good. It's cold and wet. Just what my desert mouth needed.

"Can I talk to you out in the hall, Mr. Abrams?" the doctor asks and my dad stands up and walks out the door with the doctor. I put the ice between my knees not worrying about accidentally moving my legs and knocking the ice over. I tap the corner of my eye after getting Tina's attention and she begins to look for what I want. After a little search she finds my glasses and hands them to me and I put them on. As soon as they are situated on my nose, I pick up the pen and begin to write, this time much smaller and neater.

When I am done I touch Tina's arm and point to the page with a worried look on my face.

_Are you ok? I remember you screaming._

"I screamed?" she asks and judging by how she sounds I can tell she really doesn't remember. I nod. "Weird, I don't remember that. But I'm fine," she informs me. I keep staring, knowing that she's not telling me something. She sighs and goes on. "Really, I'm okay, I just had an anxiety attack. Your heart stopped beating, and that sort of freaked me out."

Now I feel really bad. I manage to write 'Sor' before Tina grabs my hand. "Don't apologize," she says in annoyance. "It's not like it was exactly something you could stop. If anything I should be the one saying sorry. I kept pushing you into singing those songs and that's what put all the stress on your lungs."

I just stare at Tina completely confused. _Don't you apologize, you didn't know either._

She sighs and watches me shaking slightly like she is about to cry. I move the notebook and pat the side of the bed next to me. She smiles and climbs up situating herself so close to me that our arms are plastered together and her leg is against mine through the blanket. _Are you sure you're okay?_

Tina just laughs a little too loudly. "Yes, you persistent, crazy, wonderful moron." Tears are forming in her eyes and I put the pen down to brush the one that began to fall down her cheek. "I'm sorry," she says although it sounds like of lifeless. I guess I should expect nothing else since I nearly died… twice… and she had no idea if she would ever see me again. "I'm just – it's been a rough week and I'm not – " she trails off unable to finish her sentence.

I watch her for a second then I grab the cup of ice chips from between my knees. I take a big mouthful and suck on them until they are completely melted away. I am determined to do what I plan on doing. Once the ice is gone I wrap my hand around the back of Tina's neck and pull her in closer to me, making our foreheads touch. I stare at Tina and finally she looks up.

"Tee…" I say and I can tell that my voice is hoarse and I'm whispering. It hurts but I am determined to go on.

"Artie, you're not supposed to talk," Tina says but new tears are forming on her eyes.

I frown and with my left hand, so I can keep my grip on her, I write out a single line on the notebook. She doesn't turn away when she reads it and instead just uses the corner of her eye. It's a bit messy but finally she reads it.

_Just this one thing._

I know she wants to argue with me but she just can't bring herself to do it. My expression becomes gentler and I slowly move my thumb along her neck. "I missed you too."

Tina's head drops against my shoulder and I move my hand so that it is rubbing against her back in slow circles just like my mom did for me after the accident. She's shaking and I know she's holding back. Normally she would be holding me in a hug that says 'I will never let you go again,' but she doesn't want a repeat of before. Gently, I rest my head on hers and just let her be.

After a while, I don't know who long nor do I care, Tina sits up and rubs her palm over her cheeks trying to wipe away any tears that there are. I look at her and I want to talk but I frown. I guess I shouldn't any more. I grab the pen and write on the notebook quickly and messily.

_Are you gonna be ok?_

"I am now," She says, taking another breath to steady herself. "But I swear to God, you scare me like this again and I am so done with you, Artie Abrams."

I smile in defeat realize that she isn't completely serious. She didn't say my full name. _Ok, Tina Cohen-Chang, it's a deal._

"You're a dork," Tina tells me but after the jocks flushed my glasses down the toilet for the fourth time I figured as much. She leans forward and kisses my cheek. "But I'm glad you're back."


	13. Chapter 13

No Air

Artie's Point Of View

*****************************************Chapter 13*****************************************

My mom comes in after a little bit and I think I managed a "hi," before I drifted back to sleep. I am really getting tired of how much I'm sleeping at that wasn't a pun.

I know that Tina is probably worrying about how much I am sleeping but the doctors have probably told her already. "His body is recovering, he will be sleeping a lot." That's probably word for word of what the doctors told her. Jeez, I really just want to be able to keep my eyes open for more than an hour before I conk out.

I know that after I wake up again I will be more alert but it's not as much as I want to be.

The room around me is silent as my mind comes into focus. Slowly I open my eyes. I see Tina and my parents. I open my mouth to say "good morning," but Tina stops me and tosses the notebook into my lap. I look at it, and while rolling my eyes, frown. I take the pen that she is offering and begin to write.

"How many days did I miss this time?" Tina reads off the page then laughs.

"Only seven hours this time," my dad answers and smiles a genuine smile. "How you feeling?"

"Better," Tina reads. "Although I'm having a hard time focusing with her reading everything the second I write it." Tina lets out an annoyed huff and glares at me while my parents just laugh. "Well fine then, you can stay mute," Tina says and I just smirk and squeeze her knee to show her I didn't want her to take it seriously.

"Be nice to her, Artie, she's hardly left your side in two weeks," my mom says and I blush while Tina looks proud but her cheeks are red too.

I write on the paper and put the notebook in Tina's lap so that she can read it off.

"You all look dead on your feet. Go home." Tina reads and I look intently at my parents.

"Nice to see you too," my mom laughs. I smile but point to the sentence again. "We were just staying to make sure you were alright."

I take the notebook from Tina's hands and write. Giving it back to Tina she reads it off. "I'm alright. Now go sleep."

"We're fine too," My mom says. I know how she doesn't want to leave but she really looks like she got about two minutes of sleep, max.

"Really, Artie, it's okay," Tina says unwilling to leave either. I look at them completely doubtful. "It's not like we've been skipping out on sleep, we've all still been sleeping." My dad suddenly hides his mouth behind his hand I can tell that they are lying.

I roll my eyes and tug the notebook out of Tina's hands again. I write what I really want to yell and hold it up so that they can all read it. _'GO SLEEP'_ is written in huge letter and don't under exaggerate the huge part. I underlined it about five or six times. They just laugh but my dad holds up his hands in surrender.

"Alright, alright, don't have a cow," he says trying to stop laughing. "Fine, we'll go sleep." He stands up slowly and his hand is pressed to his back. Apparently he wasn't lying. He did sleep here but it was in a chair.

"Okay, honey, if that's what you want," my mom says standing up too. I know that she REALLY doesn't want to leave but she needs sleep. After my accident she didn't leave for a second and I'm not kidding. Now I feel bad but I nod. "We'll be back in a couple hours, okay?" She walks over to my bed and gives me a kiss and so does my dad then they both walk out the door.

"Tina?" My dad says suddenly glancing over his shoulder with a looks that says 'are you coming?'

"Oh I'm not going," Tina responds. "I'm not sleep-deprived in the slightest; I've been going home to sleep every night unlike you guys. I'll be fine."

He looks past Tina to me. "Whaddya say, Sport?"

I begin to write then I hand the notebook to Tina. "I've given up arguing with her a long time ago," She reads and smiles. I assume that she got to the part where underneath I've written, _(when'd you get so annoyingly stubborn?)_

My parents exchange glances and smiles. "Smart boy," my dad says, then they both wish us goodbye and leave.

"I'm not stubborn, I'm determined," Tina says once my parents are out of ears shot. I just roll my eyes and take the notebook from her yet another time. I feel bad for constantly taking it out of her hands but she is kind of holding my voice. I knew I should've taken that Sign Language class in school when I had the chance.

As I write Tina gets up so that she can sit next to me on the bed.

_Are you sure you're really not tired?_

"I really have been going home to sleep," She says like I don't believe her. But I don't really. "Mom was making me, just like she made me go to school."

_Remind me to thank her_

Tina laughs. "That reminds me, I've got a mountain of homework for you. Turns out the teachers don't go easy on you even when you're in the hospital. Although, it does make Mr. Spencer be nice to me." Now that was completely uncalled for. I knew I would have a pile of homework the size of Mount Rushmore but Mr. Spencer being nice? "I know, freaked me out too."

We smile and lean back into the pillows. We lie there for a couple minutes and once I realize that I am taping the pen in time with the heart monitor I smile. Normally I would tap my feet to a beat but that was kinda out of the options I had. I start to write again. _So have I missed any other apocoliptic occurrences at school?_

"You spelled 'apocalyptic' wrong," Tina notes and I poke her with the pen until she laughs. "Okay, sorry." We spend the next hour talking about all of the things that I'd missed. She even tells me the stuff that she could have probably left out. I just sit there and listen using over-exaggerated expressions to show that I am dying to say. But… Tina mostly just ends up laughing.

We've fallen quiet again when something comes to my mind. Tina reads what I've written in the notebook curiously then she's confused.

_It's Saturday, right?_

"Yeah, why?"

_We've been a couple one week as of yesterday._ Tina stops to think than smiles when see realizes it's true. _What a first week, huh?_

"Yeah kinda," she agrees. We started dating after I had my chest sliced open then she drugged me. Two days later, I nearly die again. Well since my heart did stop I guess I could have been classified as dead. So I did die. Well after that, I spent the rest of the week unconscious with a tube shoved down my throat. What a great week.

Tina glances at me and I see anger flair up behind her eyes. "Artie, I know what you're thinking and stop it." I look up at her confused. "Don't start trying to be noble."

I open my mouth and try to talk but the only thing that comes out if a poor attempt at her name. It comes out as more of a breath than words. I pull the notebook onto my leg so I can write and Tina can read it at the same time.

_T, things like this are just going to keep happening with me for the rest of my life, and nothing will change that. I don't want to watch you go through this again. It hurts me too much. _

"Damn it, Artie," Tina says nearly screaming at me. She runs her hand through her hair like my dad does when he's stressed. I shift back slightly. "Do you think that I don't know this? I know, Artie. Ever since we became friends I've been learning everything I could about paralysis. I wanted to be able to understand what you're going through, and help you if you ever needed it." She looks like she is about to cry but I think that I am too. She learned about my condition on her own and I hadn't even noticed it. Plus, why would she do that for me? She takes a deep breath. "When are you going to get it in your head that I've accepted you, and everything that comes with you?"

Now I feel horrible. I fidget with my hands in my lap. Before glee club I thought that everyone was just scared of me but once I was in glee club I saw that was a lie. In glee club I thought that everyone was just being polite. I thought they treated me like a person so that I wouldn't be upset. I thought that they just acted like they didn't see a poor, crippled kid in a chair but now I see that that's a lie too. They see me as a regular 16-year-old.

For several minutes we just sit there, each lost in our own thoughts. I rub the tears away from my eyes and look up at Tina. "I'm sorry," I mouth unable to form the words.

"I know," she says. I open my mouth to talk again but my throat is screaming at me. I hate this. I grab the pen and begin writing.

_It's just - I watch what my parents have to go through every time and I don't want to put another person through that, especially not you._

"You're not getting rid of me that easy," Tina says and that actually makes me smile. She shifts so that she's lying on her side looking at me. "Artie, you spend all this time worrying about everyone else. Why don't you think about yourself for once? Is this relationship what _you_ want?" I look Tina square in the eyes. I nod. "Then trust me to let you know if I think it's too much. Okay? You know me; I always let people know what I think."

I smile again and begin to write. _That's the truth._ She laughs and rests her head on my shoulder. _Thanks, T._

"Anytime," she says and I carefully laugh. I don't want to have another situation again. Tina starts to shift and I write again.

_You actually are tired, aren't you?_

She looks up at me and I smile my classic, 'you know that I'm right,' smile. "Maybe," she says reluctantly. I smile even wider while Tina shrugs. "I haven't talked to you all week, I didn't want to leave."

Suddenly I think of an idea. _I'm kinda tired too. Movie?_

"Nothing funny," She says as she hands me the remote. "We're not doing that one again." I smile but laugh mentally to myself while I flip through the channels. I land on _Casablanca_, which I haven't seen in a long time. "This'll work." Tina says. I move the notebook and hold out my arm so that Tina can move in closer to me. She begins to move but looks at my chest cautiously.

I get what she is thinking. I point to the side of my chest farther away from her and shake my head then I point to the side closest to her and nod. Tina must understand that the lung that collapsed was on the other side and she snuggles in closer to me.

She rests her head on the curve of my shoulder while I wrap my arm around her. I let my head fall so that my cheek is resting on the top of her head.

It doesn't even take her a minute until she falls asleep. And honestly, I can safely say that both of us have had the best sleep we've had in weeks. Well mine being a non super-medicated sleep that is.


	14. Chapter 14

No Air

Artie's Point Of View

*****************************************Chapter 14*****************************************

I have no clue what time it is when I wake up again. The sun isn't up yet so I'm assuming that it's before six but how much before, I have no idea. I close my eyes and try to go back to sleep but I hear my door open.

Opening my eyes and looking to the doorway, I can vaguely make out the shape of my parents. I want to reach for my glasses but Tina is lying on my arm and I don't want to wake her.

"Hey Sport," my dad says as my mom notices my situation and gets my glasses for me. "We didn't think that you would be awake.

I smile sheepishly at them. They move the chairs closer to the bed and sit down, noting Tina on my arm and the notebook on my left side.

"How are you feeling now?" my mom asks and I grab the pen she offers me and begin to write. It's a little bit messy since it's with my left but it's readable.

_Better. Just can't wait til I can talk again_

My parents laugh quietly then look worriedly at Tina. "She doesn't wake up easily does she?" and I shake my head no.

_She went out pretty fast _I write and my parents get the hint that she was tired.

"Ben, do you think we should wake her and bring her home?" My mom asks my dad who thinks for a little.

_Just leave her. She's exhausted,_ I write after getting their attention._ I don't want to wake her_

"Alright," my dad says and my mom nods in agreement.

Suddenly my mom just begins to cry. "I feel so bad," she cried trying not to make any noise. I look at her confused. Why would she feel bad? "If I hadn't convinced you to come with me to Mimi's house this whole situation would have never happened."

I look at her with eyes pleading her to not start his. It wasn't her fault. In actuality I had been the one wanting to go to Mimi's house for a while, it just so happened that we went that day. It wasn't her fault… it was the drunk driver who was going about 100 MPH when he hit us. "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me," my mom finished wiping tears from her eyes.

_I know_

"It's not your fault and you just keep telling that to yourself, okay?" my dad says putting his hand on my shoulder.

_Ok_

"We just wanted to stop in and drop a few things off. We'll be back in the morning." My mom says placing the bag she had over her shoulder to the ground.

_I think I'm going back to sleep too_

"Take care, Sport," my dad says standing up and giving me a kiss on the forehead.

_Ok I'll see you tomorrow_

"Love you," my mom said following suit.

_Love you too_

After my parents leave, I lie there for a while. It's funny how even though people should be happy that I'm alive, I'm still causing so much pain. I close my eyes but memories of the accident keep replaying in my head like a broken record player. I don't want them to because I know the question that I always ask myself after the loop finally ends. 'What if I just died?'

I shake my head, clearing all of the horrible thoughts from it. If I had died my parents would be really upset. I couldn't even begin to imagine what my mom would be like. I would have never been in Glee Club and I would have never met Tina.

I sigh and let my mind doze off, hoping that I don't have any nightmares about the accident and that my dreams are just pleasant. I would really hate to see Tina if I woke her up while she was catching up on her beauty sleep.

It's a while later that I wake up again but this time it's different. I look around and notice that my parents haven't been back since last night and Tina is awake. She looks like she is deep in though and she doesn't even notice me and I simply run my fingers through her hair. I've always wanted to do this.

She shivers and I laugh softly. Tina turns her head to look at me and I look her in the eyes then back to my hand in her hair. "What are you doing?" She asks completely confused. I hold up a piece of her blue hair in front of her face and twist it between my fingers. "Why?"

I shrug and grab the notebook. Tina moves so I can write with my right hand and I turn to a clean page and begin to write. _I always wondered if the blue feels different than the black. It doesn't_

"You're really weird," She says laughing and I smile. "Good morning."

_Morning. Feeling better?_

"Much. You?"

_Fantastic other than I feel like an idiot writing everything out like this_

Tina laughs. "Oh c'mon, it's not that bad," She says and I raise my eyebrow with a look that says 'really?' "Well at least now that you're fully conscious I can read your handwriting. And I don't have to correct your spelling every other word." I roll my eyes but she's true. I do like the fact that I don't have to rewrite more than half the things I've already written. "So your parents came by again last night?"

_Did we wake you?_ Tina shakes her head and suddenly I notice where the notebook was before I picked it up. _You read off the notebook? Eavesdropper!_

"I'm not quite sure that still qualifies as eavesdropping," she notes.

_But it does still count as being nosy_

She blushes. "Well, okay, maybe that." She glances at the clock. "Are they coming up again today?" I know that she means my parents.

_Not until later this afternoon. _Tina gives me a confused look. _Church._

"You go to church?" She is completely surprised like I just won the lottery. She knew that my family was catholic but we never really talked about it that much. It just wasn't something to talk to a person who was from a family with Jewish and Buddhist religious views.

_Only every once in a while. We aren't very consistent about it but they decided to go this week. Mom said they're both feeling pretty thankful._

"I can understand that," Tina says and the only response I can come up with is to write out a huge question mark on the notebook. "Since last week I think I've prayed to every type of god ever mentioned since the dawn of time." I smirk. I know that Tina doesn't really practice anything but just her praying is a sight that I really want to see. It's not that I care she doesn't practice it's just that I've never seen her do it.

Tina pulls her foot up and starts to play with the bandage. I watch as she unwraps it and after the last piece of bandage falls away I notice how much better it looks. It's the normal size now and the bruises are almost completely gone.

_It looks a lot better_

"It feels a lot better too," Tina says poking her ankle. She doesn't flinch or anything, so I take that as a good sign. "Should be good again this week." Tina adds as she rewraps it. "Artie, did your dad tell you that story about when he was on track in high school?"

I smile remembering the first time he told me it. _Oh he told you that one did he?_ Tina nods and I try to stop myself from laughing. _Ya I know that one. While we were fighting I didn't talk to anyone about why but after a while when I cooled out and wasn't so mad anymore I realized I missed you and was sort of confused about us. So I went to talk to my dad about it and he dropped that story in. _I laugh as I think about what I am about to write. _He tried to be really casual about it but he's about as subtle as a shotgun_

Tina laughed and I watch her face carefully. Something tells me she is about to say something else. "It's good to know your dad's always got my back," she says, and I smile knowing that my dad would do just as much as I would do for her.

_Why'd you ask?_

"I was wondering if that's why you forgave me."

I begin to write very quickly, but my handwriting is so messy I might have to write it again. _I forgave you because you're my best friend and we all make mistakes. I messed up just as bad as you. Dad didn't sway my decision, just sort of … accelerated it_

"Remind me to thank him for that," Tina says as I put down the pen and stretch my fingers. "You okay?"

_Not used to writing this much. Makes my hand tired_ I write, my fingers still aching.

"Thumbs of Steel gets tired over a little writing?"

I hit her with my shoulder. _Don't be a brat. _I play with the pen, twirling it between my fingers and then I realize what I really want. _Talk to me T_

"What about?" Tina asks like I didn't finish writing what I wanted.

_I don't care, just talk about anything. I just wanna listen_

"Wow, you just listening without talking?" I elbow her side and try not to laugh. "Okay, okay." She says as I put the notebook off to the side and lay my head back against the pillows. Tina puts her head on her hand, her elbow supporting her. She's quiet for a while, trying to think of something to talk about I figure.

"Have I ever told you about the time my dad took me back to Korea to meet my grandparents?" She asks finally. Now that is one that I've never heard before. I shake my head. "It was amazing. I'd never been to Korea before, but the place where my grandparents live is so beautiful. It was sort of scary meeting them for the first time though. My grandpa is one of those old guys who just looks naturally grumpy, like he's gonna swing his cane at you and chase you off his yard if you mess up his grass."

I smile thinking back to my grandparents. I really only know the ones on my moms side since my dad's live out in California. My grandfather died when I was about seven but my grandma's still alive. I keep her up to date on everything that's happening in the world. She's read my Harry Potter, knows Justin Timberlake, everything.

Tina continues just talking about what they did and how she tried to learn Korean but it was really hard. I can feel my eyes drooping but she just keeps on going.

I don't know how long she talked after I fell asleep but I'm sure it wasn't long. She was always good with noticing when people didn't pay attention to what she was saying.


	15. Chapter 15

No Air

Artie's Point Of View

*****************************************Chapter 15*****************************************

When I open my eyes next Tina has stopped talking and instead she is sitting at the bottom of my bed reading some book. I tug on her sock since I still can't talk and she looks up, smiles, and moves up next to me.

_What you reading?_

"_Of Mice and Men_," She says holding the book in front of my face. "Mrs. Reynolds gave it out Friday for us to read."

_How is it so far?_

"I don't know, I'm only just starting the second chapter." I smile and look at the book closely. As I read the back, I think about how Tina really doesn't like to read things she is forced into reading. She can read a book straight through if she wants to read it but schoolbooks… it's like trying to pull teeth.

I hand the book back to her and write, _sounds cool_ on the notebook. It really does sound cool.

Tina looks at the cover for a while then an expression of recognition washes across her face. "Want me to read it to you?"

_I don't want to make you start over_

"Why not? It's not like I was really paying attention to it," She lies. I know it's a lie. She loves to read and even thought it's for school and she would rather not, she reads it like her life depends on it. "You're going to need to read the book eventually if you're going to get caught back up in class, we might as well read it together."

I tap the pen for a couple seconds against the notebook as I think about it. _Fine._ I smile and push the notebook away. I move my arm so that it's around her shoulder and Tina snuggles closer to my side. She turns the pages back so that the book is open to the first chapter then she looks back up at me. I nod and she begins.

"_A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank…"_

She reads slowly out loud but I know she's doing it so that she doesn't mess up. I manage to remain awake and I think it might be because this book is actually pretty interesting.

We'd gone through a few pages when I rest my chin on her head and I read along with the words that she is saying. It takes a lot of effort on my part not to read ahead but her voice echoing in my ears is making it easier.

We got through a good deal of the book and about halfway through the third chapter someone knocks on the door. We both turn to see who it is and are both surprised when we see the doctor.

He looks nice enough. He's smiling but as soon as the words, "hey there, kid, how you feeling?" I don't like him anymore. The 'how are you feeling?' doesn't bother me at all, it's the 'kid,' part that does.

I see Tina next to me hide a laugh but I just shook the doctor an okay sign with my hand.

The doctor just laughs and comes over to the bed. "Good to hear, and I'm glad you're listening to what I said about not talking. A lot of people don't listen and then we end up back at square one again." I nod knowing what he means. But normally he wouldn't come back just to see check that I wasn't talking. I give him a questioning look. "Right, well I was just coming by to check on your stitches. Last time I looked at them they were getting really close to being ready to come out, so I'm thinking we'll probably be able to pull them this time. Should we take a look?"

He begins to reach for the tie of my hospital gown and instantly I recoil a little. I give the doctor a hesitant look and I know that he sees it too, although he gives me a returning look of confusion.

"Something wrong?" he asks, his hands still suspended halfway to me. I glance sideways at Tina and I blush once our eyes meet. She laughs and I know that she realized what I mean. The doctor on the other hand, still doesn't.

"He's being modest," Tina clarifies and I can feel my ears turning red as I avoid her eyes. She slides down off the bed and into one of the visitor's chairs and she puts her hands over her eyes. "Proceed," she says and I can tell she's covering a laugh.

After I know that Tina's eyes are covered, I let the doctor move the hospital gown down so that it's folded across my lap.

I look down at my chest to see what the doctor sees as well as what he's doing. The three gashes in my chest are now mostly just little red and white lines with bits of black going across them.

"Yeah, looks like these are ready to go. I'll be right back," he says and he leaves the room.

I happened to glance at Tina and note the space between her fingers. Following her eyes my face turns bright red again and I chuck the pen lid at her. She squeaks and ducks the shot. I kinda wish I had hit her.

"Okay, sorry, I'm really not looking now," She says turning around on the chair so that her back is towards me. Now I know that she can't look. Even so… I hope that she got a good look at what she saw.

Honestly, I'm not that ripped. I'm definitely not like a football player or wrestler but I am pretty fit. I mean, I have a lot of muscle from my waist up but that's mostly because that's the only part of me that can make me move from point A to point B. Also I think it just looks better because my lower half, after 8 years of not moving, it's slowly withering away. I have abs, not really defined but their there. My shoulders are huge just like my ears too.

A few seconds the doctor comes back in and I see Tina shutter. I KNOW she doesn't want to see the doctor cutting the string that's been sewn through my chest.

It's almost 15 minutes by the time the doctor finishes. "Alright, you're all finished now," he says as he pulls my gown back up. Tina spins back around on the chair and lowers her hands. "Those are healing up nice, but still try not to move around too much just in case," the doctor warns me completely unaware to what else is happening.

Tina climbs back up onto the bed and I purposely avoid her eyes. "Thanks," Tina says and the doctor smiles his rehearsed grin then leaves without another word. "You okay?" She says turning to look at me.

It didn't hurt at all but that's not what I want to talk about. "You peeked." My voice is still hoarse but I don't care. Tina opens her mouth to tell me not to talk but I grab the notebook and rewrite what I just said. I underline it multiple times just for the effect.

"Only a little," She says defensively. "I'm sorry, I was curious about the stitches."

_I feel so violated_ I write but truthfully I hope she likes what she saw.

"Don't be such a girl," she laughs. "It's not like I've never seen a shirtless guy before. It's perfectly normal for guys to not wear shirts."

_Not in front of their girlfriends_

"Especially in front of their girlfriends." I want to protest to that one but I give up. She would just win either way. I just nod to show my defeat. "I don't know why you're so shy about it."

_Because I'm me_

She laughs. "Can't argue with logic like that. I do think it's sweet you're so modest though." I can feel my cheeks growing red and my smile turns into the one I have when I'm shy. "And I'm actually kind of glad that you don't show off your body much."

Why would she be happy about that? _Should I be flattered or offended by that statement?_

"Flattered," She clarifies. "If other girls started seeing that, I would have a lot of competition."

Now I am completely embarrassed. I knew I was well build but I never knew just how much. My dad told me that girls would be all over me if I took my shirt off but that was from my dad. Coming from Tina it has a whole lot more impact.

It takes me a little to recompose my face but after I do, I grab the notebook again. I write out my thought and hold it up to her face. _Competition for you? Not a chance. _She smiles and turns just as red as I am. _Unless of course Angelina Jolie looks my way…_

She shoves my shoulder playfully and I can't holdback my laugh any more. "See if I compliment you anymore," she says, trying to sound tough but it doesn't work. She's still laughing and her threats are generally not carried through.

I pick _Of Mice and _Men back up and look at her with pleading eyes, begging her to continue reading.

"You really took it to heart when I said you needed to read this to keep up, didn't you?" she asks staring at me then the book.

_It's a good book. But you don't have to if you don't want_

She takes the book from my hands and smiles. "It is pretty good." I smile and I hold up my arm so that she can lean in close to me again.

After finding the place where we left off, Tina begins to read again.

I really love how her voice sounds even though she's not singing.


	16. Chapter 16

No Air

Artie's Point Of View

*****************************************Chapter 16*****************************************

It turns out that even after all the doctors stop coming in, they think that it's their job to stop someone when were being productive. We get through maybe half a chapter, a full one if we're lucky, when some one comes in. Repeat that for X amount of times and progress gets really slow.

The people that came in would bring me the nasty hospital lunch, give me some medicine, do tests on my lungs and other stuff, check my vitals, change catheter bags. (Tina really does turn away for this one and I really don't think it's something that she wants to see. I don't even want to watch).

It's ticking me off how we never can seem to make any progress anymore. We are just settled back into our positions when another person comes in and then we're back to square one again. I can tell Tina is getting irritated but as the nurses and doctors do their stuff, she is definitely happy with the break. She rests her throat and drinks some water. I just hope that she now understands what it's like for me.

Finally everything seems to slow down and we are able to pick the book back up again and get back to reading, but… wouldn't you know it, 10 pages later Tina's phone goes off.

I roll my eyes and drop my head back on the pillow.

"Sorry," she says reaching out for her phone. "I just want to make sure it's not my parents." She opens the screen and stares at it for a while indicating to me that it's a text.

I set my chin on her shoulder to try and read the message but she's at a strange angle and my legs aren't allowing me to turn much further.

"It's Mercedes," She tells me when she figures I can't see what it says. "She's wondering if you are ready for her and Kurt to come up yet."

Suddenly I feel like crap. I shake my head but I try to make it seem like it doesn't matter. "Why?" She asks and the look on her face tells me she said it before she thought about it.

I bite my bottom lip trying to think of a way that I can explain why I don't want them to come. When I finally put the words into the right order I look up at her. I motion around the room. She is confused so I grab the notebook sighing, because I hoped she would get it with that.

_I don't want them seeing me like this_

"What do you mean? You look fine." I laugh but it's one of those yeah-right laughs. "I don't understand what the problem is, Artie."

_I don't like them seeing me here_

"In the hospital?" She asks and I feel my frown drop a little more. "Why? You didn't have any problem with it last time."

_That was before_

"Artie, you really aren't doing much to help me understand this," She says. She's taking the whole situation slowly in the hopes that I will open up and I know that, but just talking to her lets me do that. "It was before what, the complication?" I nod quickly. "They've seen you since then too, they were coming up all week to check on you. Why does this matter, Artie?"

"You don't know what it's like to be me," I say out loud but quietly. I feel like I'm about to cry but I try to hold it back. "Whenever people look at me, it's with pity. Look at the poor boy in the wheelchair. When they see me, they immediately see me as someone who's weak. An invalid. It – I don't want them coming in here and seeing me and realizing everything they think is true, is true."

I know that Tina wants to remind me about not talking but my mind is far off remembering other things.

"Sweetie, what do you want to eat?" my mom asks as we sit at the local Applebee's.

I quickly shake my head no and continue to play with the napkin on my lap. I haven't really been talking since I'm depressed about the whole situation but even I do, it's only a few words. My parents are trying to be gentle about the whole situation but I can tell they are worried. They've hidden the scissors from me, high out of my reach.

"Why? You were complaining about how hungry you were since we left the house."

"I lied," I lie.

"Sport, just get something and we'll wrap it for you so you can eat it a home." My dad says. I think that he knows why I'm not hungry.

I make my parents order a simple grilled cheese sandwich for me and I don't even touch it. I took a sip of my water but other than that, I didn't touch that either.

"Honey," my mom says putting down her fork, "Just eat half okay?" I shook my head no again. She puts her hand under my chin and tilts my head to look at her. "Why not?"

A tear rolls down my face and she brushes it away. "Everyone's looking at me." I glance around the restaurant. Everyone's eyes were not on their food or the people they're with but on me, the skinny, little kid in the wheelchair. They were probably thinking how it's so sad to see a kid in a wheelchair. He has his whole life in front of him and now he's useless. "They keep staring."

She smiles. "I'll bet they are. They just can't keep their eyes off the most handsome man in this place."

I know that that's not the reason but I smile and pick up my sandwich anyway. I don't want to see my mom hurt and I don't want others to see me as the helpless kid who can't even eat his own lunch.

"It's not true though," Tina says snapping me out of my past.

"No, it is," I say still whispering. I still am focused enough to know that I shouldn't be talking. "Tee, I'm a cripple. And I've accepted that. I'm not going to be a whole, normal person again, and in that way I am weaker than other people. And they can see that. And now that I'm sitting here, barely coming out alive from the sort of problems people shouldn't have to deal with at our age, they're only going to see that more."

"They're your friends, Artie, they don't think of you like that," She responds trying to talk me out of my mindset. "They look at you and they see you, for everything you are, not everything you aren't."

I give a slight chuckle. "No, Tee, that's how you see me," I say looking up into her eyes. "You see me. Mercedes, Kurt, Mr. Schue, even my parents sometimes, they say that they don't see the chair, and they try not to, but they always do. I'm an expert on this, I can tell when people are looking at me and when they are looking at the chair. And everyone else, they are _always_ looking at the chair."

Tina just stares at me for what seems like forever. I know she understands what I mean because I've mentioned this before. She knows how I hate to feel like I'm standing, well sitting, in the middle of an open field vulnerable. She knows how I feel even more so now because I can't even move around by myself.

Suddenly Tina opens her phone and starts to type again.

"What are you doing?" I ask completely confused and worried. I look towards her phone trying to get a glimpse of what she's typing.

"I'm telling Mercedes you've just fallen asleep," she informs me as she sends the text. I look at her in surprise. I had expected her to just tell them to come and tell me to suck it up but I really appreciate it. "I might not agree with you, I still think that they see you better than you give them credit for, but if you're not ready then you're not ready."

I just stare at her and she stares back at me. In that instance, I remember why I love her so much in the first place. It's not just because she is pretty and smart, it's also because she respects me for who I am and for what I stand (sit) for. Blinking to get my head back down from the clouds, I look down at my lap and smile. "Thanks, Tee."

She crawls up on the bed, sits next to me and takes my hands in hers. Putting them in her lap she looks at me. "But don't think this means they won't come up anyway," she warns me and I know how true she is. "They won't come today, but one of them will be driving me up here after school tomorrow and I'm sure they won't turn down the chance."

"I know," I say knowing that I am just putting of the inevitable. I smile but it's not fooling Tina. "But thanks anyway." I turn towards her and lean in close, giving her a kiss. It's strange since it's the first time since the incident that I've actually kissed her.

"You're welcome," she says once we finally pull apart and I smile the truest smile that I have had on my face in quite some time. But… the moment is short lived. She gently puts her finger over my lips and gives me the same look my mom gives me when I've done something wrong. "But don't think I've forgotten, you're still a mute. Notebook, remember?" I groan and roll my eyes. I had hoped that she forgot about that but I guess not. "Sorry, but as much as I like hearing your voice again, I'm not risking repeating that song-and-dance."

"Alright," I mumble against her finger knowing that it's the last thing that I am going to be saying for a while. Tina gasps a bit over exaggeratedly and I smirk at her. "Fine, I'll go back to Sign Language." I carefully lift her hand to my face and kiss her palm then motion for her to make herself comfortable.

I really don't want to write anything but Tina not allowing me to talk is getting annoying. I mostly rely on a poor attempt at Sign Language and it leads to a lot of miscommunication and a lack of comprehension.

"You could have just pointed at the book and I'd have understood it," Tina says after my attempt to tell her to start reading again is epically thwarted. She grumbles something that I can't quite make out and grabs the book from where we left it. I try to hide my laugh but I'm doing a very poor job of it.

"You're only doing this to annoy me, aren't you?" I think that she already knows the answer to that because of the grin that's on my face. "No, stop, I get it, you think it's funny watching me try to figure it out. And I just have to say, I hope I never have to play charades with you because you're terrible at it."

It doesn't take us long to get back into the swing of things. We manage to get back to the book and finally… all of the nurses and doctors stop visiting us every 15 minutes.

We manage to read for another hour when I figure this is the time to tell her the one thing that has been on my mind for quite some time now. I put my hand over the pages and Tina looks up at me in surprise. "Tee," I start but she places a finger over my mouth. I sigh but it's the type that is accompanied by a faint smile.

I reach my hand out under Tina's chin and position her and myself so that we are squared to each other. I take a deep breath and hold it. I don't know why I chose to do this but I'm already halfway there. I can't back down now.

I point to myself then I touch my forehead. I point to myself again then I cross my arms across my chest like I'm giving myself a hug. Last but not least I point to Tina.

Tina has a look of pure excitement but it's hinted with a look of wonder and awe. She has the biggest smile on her face and I instantly know that she understands what I am trying to say.

She takes a breath to steady herself and I let out the one that I'd been holding.

She looks at me and smiles eve bigger then opens her mouth for her response.

Honestly, I think that what she says is he best thing that I have ever heard come from across her lips.

"I think I love you too."


	17. Chapter 17

No Air

Artie's Point Of View

*****************************************Chapter 17*****************************************

The rest of the day wasn't really eventful. We didn't read that much for the rest of the day and not to long after I told her about me loving her, her mom came to pick her up.

It's the next morning and judging by the time, I figure that Tina is at school already but my heart sinks. Someone from Glee Club will be driving her over to the hospital in about four hours and that means that they'll want to come up and see me with her. I have to think of a plan.

It doesn't take me that long to come up with one and once I work out all the details, I sit there waiting for my four hours to be up.

Honestly, I didn't do much during those four hours, but once the clock hits one forty-five, I begin to put my plan into action. I spread my science worksheets out across my bed although I had been doing them before. Once I hear the clunking of Tina's boots from down the hall, I lie back down and close my eyes.

"Again?" I hear Mercedes say in surprise a little bit later. "Damn, Wheels sure likes his naps." If Mercedes is here then so is Kurt but I don't want to open my eyes and find out just in case.

"You can wait for a while and see if he wakes up," I hear Tina tell them and now my plan really begins.

"We can't stay long though, we have a shopping arrangement we cannot miss," Kurt says and I hear the two make their way further into the room.

They mostly just talk for a while about things from school and I have to say, it's pretty interesting to listen to. Mercedes is filling Tina in on all the gossip so loudly that even if I had been actually asleep, I would have woken up by now.

They talk for about half an hour and, just like they promised, they head out to go on their shopping adventure. Mercedes leaves with a threat that 'if I am not awake the next time they stop by tomorrow, they'll wake me up themselves,' and with that I hear their foot steps walk out of the room and down the hall.

"You can stop pretending now, they're gone," Tina says after a little bit.

For a second I don't do anything just making sure that Mercedes and Kurt are gone but then I open one of my eyes, just a crack, and look around the room. Tina laughs as I sit up and I push my glasses back into place (I had slightly skewed them to make the whole fake sleeping thing look more realistic). I smile at her. "How'd you know?"

"When you're really asleep, you make this sort of low humming noise," She explains and I smile in embarrassment. At least I don't talk in my sleep. "And I caught you peeking a couple times. You're not as sneaky as you think you are. If Kurt and Mercedes weren't so fixated on their gossip, they'd have found you out too and then you'd really have been in trouble."

I just shrug as I gather all my papers into a pile and put it on the bedside table. "Why were you faking?" Tina asks and I realize that I've been caught.

"Still not ready," I say quietly. When I look up I see Tina staring at me and I just smile trying to brush the whole thing off. "Just for today. I won't tomorrow, I promise, I just wanted a little more time."

"That's good because they aren't letting you sleep tomorrow."

"Yeah, so I heard."

"I notice you've given up being mute," Tina notes and I shrug again. I really hated that notebook. Not because of the pattern on it or anything like that, it's just knowing that that was my only form of communication made me feel the same way I felt when I learned my wheelchair was my only form of mobility.

"My throat doesn't hurt anymore," I clarify. "Don't worry, no shouting, no singing. I'm just going to go crazy if I have to write out what I'm saying any longer."

"And I think I'll go crazy if I have to try and figure out whatever you're miming, deliberately horribly I might add," Tina says but although we both laugh we can both also feel the air around us change. I think we both flashback to last night and we look away like it's taboo. Even so, after a minute we end up doing our homework together, Tina doing the new stuff we got in class and me doing the new stuff we got in class last week.

The rest of the day passes in almost the same exact way as the ones before. We work on homework until we get sick of it then we just enjoy each other's company. We talk but I keep it quiet, still letting Tina do most of the talking. I still do some of my attempted Sign Language but I really do enjoy talking again.

By the time it's dark outside, Tina's mom comes to pick her up and bring her home again. Tina acts like she doesn't want to leave but she picks up her things anyway. I squeeze her hand as she's about to leave. "Night, Tee," I say but when she looks into my eyes the look in hers make it seem like I've done something to make her heart soar.

I'm giving her the same look I have always given her when she leaves but this time I know she understands what I really mean.

I love you. I didn't just say it last night; I've said it every night.

She leans over and kisses my cheek and she smiles an awkward smile to.

This time she left, I know she was the happiest she has ever been when she leaves because now she know how I really feel about her.

I just wish that I were able to tell her sooner.


	18. Chapter 18

No Air

Artie's Point Of View

*****************************************Chapter 18*****************************************

"Mom, I'm headin' out," I yell as I wheel myself out my front door and down the ramp.

"Be careful," I vaguely heard her call back.

As I head down the sidewalk, I can't stop myself from smiling. Two and a half weeks of being stuck in a bed and unable to really do anything for or by myself. It's just so nice that I am able to wheel myself around again.

I'm about half a block from where I usually meet Tina and I smile when she sees me.

"Morning," I say once I'm close enough that she can hear me.

"Morning," she replies. "You ready?"

I laugh. "So much more than ready," and I stick my hands out telling her to hand me her backpack. She hands it over willingly, just like we used to do, and I settle it onto my lap, making sure that it won't fall off. Tina walks around my chair and begins to push me towards the school.

It's strange how everything seems so normal, kinda like nothing happened. I glance up at her more than usual but I really don't care and I don't think Tina does either. She might be a little creped out by the fact I look at her, smile, then look forward again. But if she does, she doesn't let it show.

"Hey Tee," I say, tilting my head back to look up at her. "Did you tell everyone? About, you know, _us_?"

She smiles but shakes her head no. I am really confused now. Is it that big of a deal and embarrassing that she didn't tell everyone? She obviously sees my confusion and continues to explain. "Mercedes beat me to it."

I laugh and feel a wave of calmness wash over me. At least I didn't do anything. "I should have guessed as much. Nothing stays quiet with her around. Not that I wanted it to stay quiet or anything," I add quickly, looking at Tina wondering if that was the right thing to say.

"It's okay, I know what you meant," she says and I smile again. Once we get to the school and head in, Kurt and Mercedes are waiting for us at Tina's locker just like normal.

"Good to see you back," Kurt says and Mercedes nods, giving me her classic Mercedes smile.

"Thanks, guys," I say trying not to let it show that I really appreciate how they cared and still care about me. "It's good to be back."

We all move into our normal routines with Tina wheeling me to my locker then after the bell rings, we all go our separate ways towards our classes.

Tina and I head towards science and slipping into the back of the room, Mr. Spencer glances at me and nods before turning his back to us. I feel bad how he ignores Tina. "Looks like things are back to normal," Tina says laughing and takes her normal seat next to mine. I nod as I wheel myself into my handicap desk and lock my wheels.

The rest of the day is typical except for the fact that every Glee kid I pass screams out 'hi' to me in the hall. It's kind of embarrassing but it shows me that they at least notice that I'm back.

At lunch the table is completely full; Quinn, Rachel, Brittany, and Finn all squeezing in with our normal group of four leaving very little room for anyone to move without hitting someone. It's strange, having so many people at the table but it's fun to talk and laugh with them.

I find it extremely amusing how Brittany steals Tina's cookie piece by piece but puts the raisins back on her tray. Tina doesn't look like she cares but to me it's the most entertaining thing in the world. But I have to admit; the cafeteria cookies aren't anything to fight over anyway. I think the hospital ones were better, and that's saying something.

It's between seventh and eighth period, when thing really take a turn for normal. A group of jocks passing Mercedes, Kurt, Tina and I in the hall yells, "Hey freaks." Instinctually we all slam our eyes shut and prepare ourselves for the event coming. A second later I fell the cold, wet, mush hit me in the face. As the jocks walk away I begin to wipe it off my face and out of my eyes.

I see Tina carefully open her eyes just incase another one is coming but it doesn't. She looks down at me and her eyes widen with fear and anger. She turns to yell at the jocks but I begin to laugh.

She looks down at me again and I'm trying to find a piece of my shirt that isn't covert in blue slushy to wipe my glasses off on. Finally I manage to wipe them off and when I look back up at the others, I grin. "It's good to know that some things never change," I say. And I wouldn't want it any other way.

They exchange looks but I'm still laughing and they just join in. "C'mon, let's get you cleaned up. I only have math next, it's not like I need to be there," Kurt says as he wheels me into the nearest bathroom.

In the bathroom Kurt gives me the star treatment. He washes my hair in the sink, complementing my wheelchair choice because, since I have the safety wheels on the back, I can lean back into a reclining position. After all the dye is out of my hair we manage to find a change of clothes and with a bit of difficulty I manage to change into them.

It just a pair of regular jeans and some t-shirt but I feel really awkward. I want my vest back. At least I get to keep my piano belt.

I don't see Tina again until school lets out and we meet at Glee practice. She is staring at me and I'm guessing it's the way my hair looks and my clothes. "He used something weird to get the stickiness out of my hair, and now I smell funny," I complain and Tina snorts back a laugh.

"You smell like a girl," She informs me and to argue back but I merely stick my tongue out.

Everyone in Glee Club is really happy and more so than normal. Everyone is super excited that I'm back and I never knew that anyone could miss someone so much.

Mr. Schue is really happy too as he walks in a puts his bag on the piano. "Hey guys," he says and everyone suddenly stops talking. "Alright, exciting day today. Let's welcome back Artie." The entire group begins to clap and shout back welcomes while my ears go red. "It's good to have you back," Mr. Schue continues. "And also, we're starting on a new song."

He passes out the sheet music and looks at me. "I already gave you the music for this one. I know you aren't supposed to sing for a couple more days, but you think you can cover the guitar part?"

I glance down at the music and read it over quickly. It's nothing to hard but the change in 32 might be a little tricky. "No problem, Mr. S," I say wheeling over to get my guitar off the stand.

I don't think that we've ever had such a fun practice. We begin with the song but by the end, it's just a mess of random dancing and singing. Everyone is ignoring Mr. Schuester's ideas for choreography and we're just doing whatever comes to us. Finally he relinquishes control of practice and we wind up in another impromptu jam session. We're having so much fun it's a half hour after we normally end before Mr. Schue realizes were over time.

After Mr. Schue lets us leave, Tina and I walk home together. We end up at my house but that's perfectly fine with me. We're lying on my bed trying to finish the homework that we've both missed but that's hard to do. "Why did I have to miss school right before end of term?" I grumble for about the 10th time in an hour as we tackle another pile of papers.

Everything is still the same except were a bit closer than normal. It's not awkward when we brush each other's arms reaching for things since there's no tension between us. It's just a natural, perfect harmony, perfectly in sync, enjoying the feel of that compatibility.

We finally toss our homework aside and I decide to try and teach Tina Halo. It's not an easy task but I would rather be teaching her than anyone else. I'm glad that I now have two and a half weeks of new memories with just her and it's because with those memories we are gonna be able to get through anything. Some people say love is a fairy tale, some from friendship, and some from bonding experiences. For Tina and I, it's d) all of the above.

And that is perfectly fine with me.


	19. Chapter 19

No Air

Artie's Point Of View

*****************************************Chapter 19*****************************************

As I sit at my desk and tap my pencil against the computer keyboard, I can't help but focus on the weird twisting in my stomach. For some reason I've been feeling all morning like there's something else I should be doing, but whatever that thing is won't come to me. I sigh heavily and double-time the pace of my pencil.

"Powering down for the weekend already, Art?"

I glance up in surprise as someone steps into my office. It's one of my co-workers, Tyler, a man about five or so years older than me who I made fast friends with after starting work for his graphic design business three years ago. We now run the business as partners. "Yeah, must be," I reply with a laugh.

"I know what you mean, I can't keep my brain on the work either," Tyler says and he comes around to sit on the corner of my desk, facing me. "Going to take the family camping this weekend, and all I can think about is 'did I pack that' or 'do we have enough of those.' It's driving me crazy."

"Have fun with that," I say, tossing my pencil down onto the desk before I start drumming so hard I break my keyboard. I really hadn't been camping after my accident. When we did go, it ended up just being my dad carrying me over all of the tree roots. The trees were so close together it's not like I could go more than 10 feet from the campsite. "Where are you going?"

"Just up around the–"

We both jump as my office phone suddenly rings, cutting off his sentence. Giving him an apologetic look, which only makes him laugh, I reach for the phone. "Artie Abrams' office, can I–"

"Artie, it's Maggie." I fall silent at the rushed voice of Mrs. Cohen-Chang. She sounds almost like she's panting and I can hear a slightly hysterical ring in her tone. My heart starts beating doubly fast at the possibilities. Oh God no… "You've gotta come, it's Tina. She's just gone into the ER."

"I'll be right there," I say immediately and toss the phone back onto the receiver. "Sorry, Ty, I gotta go," I say breathlessly, grabbing my bag and swinging it around over the back of my chair. "It's Tina."

As I'm rolling out the door, I hear Tyler shout, "Run, Forrest, Run!" If it weren't for the fact that I'm so insanely panicked, I might have laughed at the irony in that.

However all I can think about is Tina in the hospital and I don't want to spare the brain cells for anything else.

My specialized manual car is parked in the employee lot, and I secure my chair into it before turning on the engine. It's a miracle that I make it out of the parking lot without hitting anything, because I'm so distracted. As fate would have it, since I'm in such a hurry I manage to hit not only every single red light in Lima, but also the lunch hour traffic. By the time I finally make it to Lima General, I'm almost a complete nervous wreck.

Dad is waiting for me outside the hospital and he reaches down to squeeze my shoulder as I roll up.

"How is–?"

"We don't know yet, Sport," Dad answers my unfinished question. "They haven't told us." He must see the fear in my face, or maybe he's just saying it reassure himself, but he adds, "Don't worry, I'm sure everything's fine."

We make our way up to the fourth floor waiting room and I see Mom and Mr. and Mrs. Cohen-Chang sitting there as well. All of them look just about as nervous as I feel, and I find myself receiving a lot of hugs that don't necessarily make me feel much better. What I really want is news. Information. Anything.

It feels like hours, even though my watch says it's only five long minutes, that we're sitting there in the waiting room, looking up hopefully at every single doctor and nurse that passes through the room but getting nothing from them. I'm on the verge of a full-blown panic attack when a nurse enters the room and says, "Mr. Abrams?"

"Yes?" I say, turning instantly and rolling to meet her halfway. "Tina, how is she?"

"She's holding out alright for now," the nurse explains in a steady voice. "We've managed to stop any complications from getting worse, but it's definitely still going to be a risky venture. It's gotta come now and fast or else there's going to be serious complications."

I can feel my body shaking and I'm really grateful I'm already sitting down or I might have fallen over at that. I run an agitated hand through my hair, trying to keep myself calm and failing miserably. "What are you going to do?" I ask feebly.

"We're having her prepped for emergency surgery right now," the nurse says and I feel my stomach drop. "She wants you there."

"Of course," I agree instantly. I turn back around to tell my parents and hers what's going on and they all say something along the lines of, "Give her our love and let her know we're here." Dad takes my work bag and jacket, and I hastily remember to also pull off my gloves and hand them to him before going back to the nurse.

The nurse leads me into a side room and helps me to put on a set of oversized medical scrubs, covering every inch of my street clothes. It's complicated work, but we eventually manage it. I'm then outfitted with a papery face mask and a weird sort of bandana that keeps my hair out of the way before she decides I'm sterilized enough to go in.

The journey down to the room where they've put Tina feels like the longest trip of my life. I'm hit with a blast of sterilized air when the doors open, and in an instant I take in the sight. There is the ring of doctors and surgeons and nurses, all crowded around the bed, and they are arranging trays of tools and green surgeons' sheets. I can see Tina, pale and shaking as she lies there, and as I watch she winces and gasps. The sound of the door gets her attention and she looks over, and my heart flies at the look of relief on her face when she sees me.

"Artie," she pants and I roll forward to take the hand she's holding out to me. I'm unfortunately barely above eye level with the mattress of the bed, but I reach up and squeeze her hand.

"Hey Tee, hold in there for me," I say. As she winces again her grip on my hand gets painfully tight. I feel utterly helpless, sitting there, but I reach up and gently stroke her hair as best as I can.

"Artie, what if…?"

"Don't think like that," I say quickly, holding onto her hand more tightly. "Everything's going to be fine. I'm here now. We'll be okay." I have to be the confident one for the both of us. She's so scared right now. I haven't seen a fear like that in her eyes in years, not since the time I nearly died back when we were in high school. I can't let her know that I'm terrified too. This time I'm going to have to be the strong one.

Tina lets out a strangle yell and I'm fairly certain she just broke the knuckle of one my fingers. My heart is seizing painfully. I hear the doctors saying, "We've got to do this _now_," and I look over just in time to see him pick up the scalpel.

"Tee, look at me," I command, wanting to keep her eyes away from that. Her dark eyes fix onto my face and I move my hand from her hair to her cheek, keeping her face turned to me and away from the knife descending toward her. "Hey, focus on me, okay?"

"Artie, it – _ow_," she tenses and I feel her pain like my own as her eyes close and she grits her teeth. The paleness in her face is hastily being replaced with red and she's panting, almost gasping for breaths. "It hurts," she finally says when her muscles relax.

"I know, but you've got to hang on," I say earnestly. "Just a little longer, Tee, and then it'll stop. Just keep looking at me. I'm here for you."

It feels like ages that I just stare back at Tina, doing everything in the world that I possibly can to keep her calm. I brush my thumb over her sweaty cheek and forehead soothingly, kiss her hand through my paper mask, and just keep talking to her. I try to ignore the doctors behind me, try not to think about what they're doing and what could be happening.

"Everything's gonna be okay, Tee, I promise you," I assure her. She nods, giving me that look that says her love beyond words, and I stare right back, trying to convey the exact same thing to her.

And then a high scream splits the room.

My heart stops.

"Artie," Tina gasps weakly.

"Oh Tee," I say and I can feel tears in my eyes as I squeeze her hand. I cling onto her grip and pray, sending every possible plea for safety and protection and mercy skyward.

"Mrs. Abrams?" We both look up as a doctor approaches Tina's other side, and there's a smile on her face. My heart leaps into my throat. "It's a boy."

"A boy," I breathe in awe. Tina slips her hand out of mine, and the doctor places the little blue blanketed bundle in her arms. She stares down at it in disbelief, and even though her hair is a mess and she's red-faced and sweating, she's never looked so beautiful as she does when she smiles.

I tug the paper mask down below my chin, having a hard time breathing through it. "Is he okay?" I ask, trying to sit up straighter and see. The doctor smiles across at me and nods.

"You've got yourselves a tough little boy right there," she says. "Three weeks early and still perfectly healthy."

"Thank you," I say, because it's the only thing I can think of. These people helped to save Tina and the baby, and I am pretty sure there's no way I can thank them enough.

"Artie," Tina says quietly, and she shifts on the mattress so she's closer to my side. I meet her gaze and there are tears in her eyes. "He's so beautiful. He's got your eyes."

"Can I?" I ask hopefully. The doctor comes around to stand next to me, and after Tina hands the bundle of blankets to her, she lowers it into my arms. "He's so tiny," I say.

"He's just the right size," the doctor informs me, and then backs away. I'm almost afraid to move my hands, in case I somehow drop him, but I need to see his face and know for sure that he's really real, and he's really here.

Slipping my one hand up carefully, I brush the blanket away from his face. His skin is red but he's stopped crying. There's a fine patch of dark hair across the top of his head, and when he opens his eyes and looks up at me they are wide and round and bright blue.

"Hey baby boy," I say quietly, brushing my thumb against his cheek. I don't even care that I'm crying as I lean down and press a light kiss onto his warm forehead.

Seven hours later, Tina is settled into a new room, stitched up and recovered from her emergency cesarean, and I've already made myself comfortable on the bed with her. Our family has filtered through already, and now it's just us – me, Tina, and our little baby boy. She's holding him to her chest, and I've got one arm around her shoulders.

As I look at the situation, I can't help but think about how our lives came full circle. It had been years since then, but once again Tina and I are lying together in a hospital bed at the exact same hospital and just enjoying the feel of being together. It's sort of weird how things can be so much like last time, and yet so radically different. This time there's no questions, and no uncertainty. Tina and I don't just think we're in love, we know. And that's only reinforced by the little sleeping bundle in her arms.

Our baby. Two years of trying, and now we're finally here. My mind is still reeling from that. I stare down at his peaceful little face and my heart feels like it's too big for my chest. "What are we going to call him?" I ask Tina in a whisper.

Tina stares at his face for a long time, like she's expecting it to just appear on his forehead. Then she smiles and says, "Kevin?"

"Kevin," I echo, looking at his face. For some reason, in some inexplicable, illogical way, it just seems to fit. "I like it." I reach a hand out and lightly run my finger down his face. "Hey Kevin," I breathe.

Kevin stirs and blinks those huge blue eyes at me, and then he sort of smiles a funny little toothless grin. My heart melts and suddenly it doesn't feel like there's enough air in the room anymore.

"You know Artie," Tina says, smiling down at Kevin, "things like him might just keep happening to me the rest of my life."

I muffle my laugh so I don't startle the baby, because somewhere out of the recesses of my memory I can remember another conversation we had in this same hospital that sounded a lot like that. The topic was entirely different, but the point she's driving home makes me smile.

"And you know, Tee," I say and I meet her gaze, seeing in it that _look _that I love so much, "I think I can be okay with that."


End file.
